Missouri judge tosses gay marriage ban
ST. LOUIS – A state judge overturned Missouri’s constitutional ban on gay marriage Wednesday in a ruling that immediately set off a rush among some same-sex couples to apply for marriage licenses.
St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison said in a written ruling that Missouri’s measure recognizing marriage only between a man and woman violates the due process and equal protection rights of the U.S. Constitution. The decision mirrored ones handed down recently in several other states.
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster immediately appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court, saying the constitutional challenge “must be presented to and resolved” at that level. But he said that his office wouldn’t seek a stay of the order, noting that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant stays after same-sex marriage decisions in Idaho and Alaska.
Vietnam-era draftee retires from Army
AUBURN, N.Y. – The U.S. military says a central New York native has retired as the Army’s last Vietnam-era draftee.
The 2nd Infantry Division’s public affairs office at Camp Red Cloud in South Korea says Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ralph Rigby’s retirement ceremony was held Oct. 28, his 62nd birthday.
A native of Auburn in Cayuga County, Rigby was drafted in 1972. He’s believed to be the Army’s last continuously serving active duty draftee.
In July 2011, the Army announced that Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Mellinger was retiring as the service’s last Vietnam-era draftee. But Army officials later had to issue a correction when they learned Rigby and another soldier also were drafted and remained on active duty.
Associated Press
