Valerie Richardson
Articles by Valerie Richardson
Atheists post Arabic billboard in Memphis to attract ex-Muslims
Atheists' organizations have been offending Christians for years with their irreverent billboards, but the latest is directed toward the Muslim community. Published March 17, 2015
Robert Kennedy Jr. presses states to rethink child vaccination laws
Supporters of state legislation to tighten vaccine exemptions appeared poised for success this year after the Disneyland measles outbreak, but opponents are hoping the Kennedy magic proves equally contagious. Published March 16, 2015
Obamacare cancellations feared for nearly 200,000 Coloradans in 2016
Nearly 200,000 insured Coloradans will lose their health-care plans next year under the state's embattled Obamacare exchange, Connect for Health Colorado. Published March 14, 2015
James Knowles III, Ferguson mayor, hit with recall effort amid unrest
Residents of Ferguson, Missouri, launched a recall effort Friday afternoon against Mayor James Knowles III, the most prominent public figure remaining in the strife-ridden community after a recent rash of resignations. Published March 14, 2015
Cato Institute refuses to cooperate with Senate Democrats’ climate-research probe
Add the Cato Institute to the list of those refusing to cooperate with the Senate Democrats' investigation into the funding of climate research. Published March 13, 2015
Ferguson protesters set back by gunfire on 2 police officers
Activists offered their support to the two police officers shot Thursday in Ferguson but acknowledged that the gunfire delivered a setback to the movement as questions surfaced over whether nonstop protests helped provoke the incident. Published March 12, 2015
Ferguson protesters want ‘dead cops,’ says Jeff Roorda, St. Louis union official
A St. Louis police union official said Thursday that anti-police protesters aren't satisfied with reform — what they want is "dead cops." Published March 12, 2015
Police detain three in Ferguson police shooting ‘ambush’
Police brought in for questioning three people Thursday in the shooting of two St. Louis-area officers at a midnight protest rally in Ferguson, an incident the police chief described as an "ambush." Published March 12, 2015
Climate change ‘denier’ scientist funding investigation countered by ‘warmist’ probe
A Democrat-led congressional investigation into the funding sources of scientists skeptical of climate-change doomsday scenarios has triggered another scientific law — to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction — from the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Published March 11, 2015
Petition to rename Buffalo, N.Y., used as critique of Redskins controversy
For the record, Mark Beasley doesn't really want the city of Buffalo to change its name. But his petition isn't exactly a joke either. Published March 9, 2015
Benjamin Netanyahu troubled by U.S. offers of a ‘nuclear umbrella’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that "troubling questions" are raised if reports are accurate that the White House is offering Arab states a "nuclear umbrella" to protect them from Iran. Published March 8, 2015
Hillary Clinton email scandal intensifies as Benghazi investigators find ‘huge gaps’
The Hillary Rodham Clinton email scandal picked up steam Sunday as the lead Republican investigator on Benghazi said there are "huge gaps" between emails received so far from her private server, and even a top Senate Democrat urged Mrs. Clinton to be more forthcoming. Published March 8, 2015
Ferguson mayor vows to hold biased police accountable
The mayor of Ferguson said city officials will hold accountable anyone involved in the targeting of the minority community for tickets and arrests revealed in last week’s Justice Department report. Published March 8, 2015
Ex-ambassador alleges ‘different standard’ at State Department on private emails
Former U.S. Ambassador Scott Gration, who lost his Kenya post in part over a private email account, said Sunday that a "different standard" was applied to his case and that of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Published March 8, 2015
More voters side with Benjamin Netanyahu than Obama on Iran nuclear deal: poll
That speech before Congress may have worked: More U.S. voters appear to support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tougher approach over President Obama's more conciliatory strategy when it comes to negotiations with Iran. Published March 6, 2015
Sheriffs in three states sue to weed out recreational marijuana in Colorado
A dozen sheriffs and county attorneys from three states sued Thursday to overturn Colorado's recreational marijuana law, the latest in a string of lawsuits targeting the nation's first legalized retail pot market. Published March 5, 2015
Democrats press on despite heat over ‘witch hunt’ into climate scientists’ funding
Democrats may be flustered after a week of being accused of engineering an anti-science "witch hunt," but they aren't backing down from their investigations into the financial backing of climate change researchers who challenge the movement's doomsday scenarios. Published March 5, 2015
Omar Trevino Morales, Zetas cartel capo ‘Z-42,’ arrested in pre-dawn raid
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's low-key approach to fighting the country's bloody drug wars wasn't supposed to be focused on capturing drug kingpins, and yet somehow they keep landing in jail. Published March 4, 2015
Utah officer punished for resisting performing in gay-pride parade speaks out
As a police officer, Eric Moutsos had no problem with working security at a gay-rights parade, but he did have a problem with kicking off the festivities by performing a choreographed routine as part of the department's motorcycle squad. Published March 4, 2015
Civil rights commissioners: Rein in education admin. on ‘unlawful’ bullying, sexual assault policies
Two federal civil-rights commissioners are calling on Congress to nix a proposed budget increase for the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, charging it with enacting overreaching and even unlawful policies on school discipline, sexual harassment and bullying. Published March 4, 2015
