| A new beginning
SAN ANTONIO -- Some limped gingerly, some rode in wheelchairs as they made their way into the tent. They had missing arms and legs, faces with no ears or with rebuilt noses, bones rebuilt with steel, shrapnel still visible in places. They are the faces of war and its cruel costs, the "wounded warriors" as they were called Monday, and they were the guests of honor at the dedication of a $40 million rehabilitation center built just for them. One of those soldiers is Spc. Lucas Schmitz, a 22-year-old college student from rural Minnesota, whose right leg was blown off by a bomb in Iraq last July. "The center will give me the opportunity to adapt," said Schmitz, a member of the Minnesota National Guard. "I'm never going to be the same, and I won't be able to do things exactly like I used to.
City schools fail to comply with disabilities measure
Charlottesville High School junior Daniel Milner hopes he doesn't have to use the back door when he gets his diploma. Milner uses a wheelchair because of a congenital spinal condition, and he would have to use a door behind the stage at CHS's Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center to receive his diploma in June 2008 while his peers will use the stairs. Milner's dilemma is part of a larger issue in the city's public schools. None of Charlottesville's nine schools fully complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the city's Special Education Advisory Committee is urging city officials to use some of its $9.9 million budget surplus from 2006 to make compliance an immediate priority. The Virginia Organizing Project, a local grassroots group that addresses state social issues, is considering filing a lawsuit against the city if its immediate budget goals do not emphasize the ADA project, said Joe Szacos, the group's executive director.
Council holds off on golf-course annexation
The North Myrtle Beach City Council tabled again Monday an ordinance to annex and zone 313 acres of the Beachwood and Azalea Sands golf courses for redevelopment. The council has been tabling the proposal pending a review of a development agreement between the developers and the city. An agreement has been submitted and will be considered for recommendation by the city's Planning Commission today. MYRTLE BEACH S.C. senator to speak to Beach Dems State Sen. Dick Elliott will be the speaker for the Feb. 9 Beach Dems Breakfast in Myrtle Beach. The Democratic group meets at 8 a.m. at Akels Restaurant. The event is open to the public and no reservations are required for the breakfast buffet. For more information, call Sally P.
Lampert Smith: Madison businessman imprisoned at border
As part of keeping our borders safe, federal officials have been detaining Madison businessman Tomas Contreras since Jan. 8 near the border in Laredo, Texas. And who is this scary criminal? Jeez, he's nearly as frightening as Asmeret Yosef, the Madison mother of two toddlers who the Immigration and Customs Enforcement folks deported in November because her paperwork was messed up. .
Brain breakthrough 'can read intentions'
By studying changes in brain activity, it is now thought possible to identify how a person is going to act before they do so. The breakthrough could have huge implications for brain-stimulated devices used by people suffering from paralysis. In the study, volunteers were asked to decide whether to add or subtract two numbers but told not to reveal what they were going to do. Using complex computer programs and sophisticated imaging of the brain, scientists were able to identify what each person was going to do with 70% accuracy. The research was led by Dr John-Dylan Haynes, from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany, working with researchers in London and Tokyo. The results were published in the online edition of Current Biology.
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