Ohio
Group contests statutory ban on campaign lies
CINCINNATI – A national anti-abortion group wants a federal court to block an Ohio law barring people from recklessly making false statements about candidates seeking elective office.
The Susan B. Anthony List filed a motion Friday in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, asking that the law not be enforced while the group continues to challenge its constitutionality. The motion says the statute violates free-speech rights and “chills core political speech.”
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday the group could challenge the law, raising doubts about whether Ohio’s law and similar ones in other states can survive complaints that they violate free speech rights.
Maryland
$50 million pledged for blindness research
COLUMBIA, Md. – Businessman and philanthropist Gordon Gund is pledging $50 million in matching donations as part of an effort to restore vision for some blind people. The goal is to raise $100 million total by 2020.
He is chairman of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, based in Columbia. The 74-year-old former owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers lost his sight to a degenerative retinal disease at age 30. Gund says the foundation already has made significant advances toward its goal and that the funding will help maintain its momentum. Research from the foundation helped lead to the commercial launch of the first “bionic retina.”
Virginia
Power company clashes with origin of U.S. history
JAMESTOWN, Va. – A power company’s plan to build high-rise transmission towers within sight of Jamestown Island has stirred opposition from historic preservationists who say they’ll be a visual blight from the swampy shore where America sprouted.
Dominion Virginia Power is awaiting permits from the Army Corps of Engineers to construct 17 towers across 4 miles of the James River. The towers would rise above the river to a height ranging from 160 feet to 295 feet.
But a who’s who of historic preservation groups, some residents and local attractions have lined up in opposition. They contend the power line would not only be an eyesore from Jamestown Island, but also blot a horizon where Britain established its first successful permanent settlement in North America more than 400 years ago.
California
Video game athletes battling it out in Anaheim
ANAHEIM, Calif. – The nation’s video game athletes have gathered in Southern California to battle aliens and bad guys for cash and glory.
More than 1,000 eSports players are taking part in the Major League Gaming Championships in Anaheim, which began Friday and run through today.
Playing for a piece of the $150,000 in prize money, the contestants don special headphones and face off in soundproof booths in games such as “StarCraft II,” “Call of Duty: Ghosts” and “Super Smash Bros. Melee.” Their battle chatter is broadcast live and announcers provide the play-by-play.
About 1,500 people were expected to watch the main events at the Anaheim Convention Center, and more than 2 million from around the world were expected to watch online via Major League Gaming’s free streaming site, MLG.tv.
Associated Press
