Oct. 21, 2006

PITTSBURGH — It’s about “turnout, turnout, turnout,” says gravelly voiced Allegheny County Labor Council President Jack Shea, speaking from a cell phone on his way to another worksite to hand out election leaflets and talk with workers at shift change. It is not election rhetoric.

A new study by U.S. and Iraqi public health doctors estimates that approximately 600,000 Iraqis have been killed in the violence that the U.S. unleashed with its March 2003 invasion. An additional estimated 55,000 deaths from nonviolent causes suggest deteriorating health conditions and care, the study says. It “constitutes a humanitarian emergency,” the authors say.

CHICAGO — “We look forward to celebrating Frank’s 180th birthday,” declared Scott Marshall, labor secretary of the Communist Party and friend of Frank Lumpkin, who was celebrating his 90th birthday with family, friends and comrades at a packed Unity Center on Oct. 13. “It’s ironic because Frank has never done anything 180 in his life. He’s never turned away from a fight.”

CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill. — When nearly 3,000 demonstrators showed up outside a village board meeting here on Oct. 3, mostly to oppose the “Illegal Alien Immigration Relief Act,” town leaders tabled the measure in order to facilitate the discussion in a larger location for public hearings.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Tensions are running high in Connecticut, with all three Republican House seats in hot contention, along with a high-stakes Senate race.

TUCSON, Ariz. — In a victory for democratic elections, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has granted an injunction that bars enforcement of Arizona’s oppressive voter identification requirements during the Nov. 7 election.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.: Fighting to preserve desegregated schools
DETROIT: Voting to defend affirmative action
NEW YORK: Civil rights lawyer gets 28 months
GRAND HAVEN, Mich.: U.S. guns to ‘light up’ Great Lakes
LAKE WORTH, Fla.: Green Party focuses on local races

Black colleges fight to recover
Black/Brown unity meeting
Rents skyrocket
Sewage may save wetlands

Survey: Black youth most politically active
Nobel laureates urge youth to change the world
Migrant youth in China receive training
Czech youth group outlawed

As Nicaragua prepares for elections Nov. 5, and with Daniel Ortega of the Nicaragua Triumphs/Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) leading in the polls, a delegation of academics and activists is visiting the country to investigate charges of U.S. interference in the electoral process.