| New support for old idea: Death penalty deters crime
For the first time in a generation, the question of whether the death penalty deters murders has captured the attention of scholars in law and economics, renewing an intense debate about one of the central justifications for capital punishment. According to about a dozen recent studies, executions save lives. For each inmate put to death, the studies say, three to 18 murders are prevented. The effect is most pronounced, according to some studies, in Texas and other states that execute condemned inmates relatively often and relatively quickly. The studies, performed by economists in the past decade, compare the number of executions in different jurisdictions with homicide rates over time — while trying to eliminate the effects of crime rates, conviction rates and other factors — and say murder rates tend to fall as executions increase.
Photo by Matt Stensland
Confluence Energy co-owner Mark Mathis has been stockpiling lodgepole pines this winter at a piece of property in Kremmling, where he is building a wood pellet production facility. Mathis is hopeful the new plant will be turning the beetle-killed timber into pellets once it is finished in four weeks. .
Jupiter's boys face tough road
You just have to play good basketball at this time of the year," Gibson said. "But it's always good to have home cooking."
Making the cutAfter one round of playoffs, eight girls' basketball teams from Palm Beach County are still alive.
That number will shrink by at least three after Thursday night's regional semifinal games.
Boynton Beach (19-8) travels to Olympic Heights (15-8), Palm Beach Lakes (22-5) hosts Atlantic (24-4), and Trinity Christian (18-5) is at Lake Worth Christian (17-10).
Suncoast made an unexpected early exit, losing to Rockledge 70-55. The Chargers finished 21-6, but had played nearly the past month of the season and last week's playoff loss without injured starters Ariana Jackson and Ashley Watson.
The game was tied with three minutes to go, but Rockledge forced a number of turnovers that made Suncoast foul to try and stay in the game.
Selling the nonski slopes
PLYMOUTH, N.H. - On a recent Saturday, Cully Gustafson was racing down a slope on a Hammerhead sled - a new piece of equipment that sports bicycle-like handlebars and a springy mesh seat - on his first trip to Tenney Mountain resort. "I haven't skied in a couple years," said the 46-year-old from Plymouth, Mass. "No time now with kids." With lifestyles so jam-packed and high-priced, fewer people are sinking time and money into skiing or snowboarding. So several New England resorts this season are trying to squeeze more money out of skiers and snowboarders while also luring people who otherwise would not set foot on the slopes by dedicating small sections of their mountains to easier-to-learn, cheaper activities such as sledding, snowshoeing, and winter hiking. After all, a day of skiing or snowboarding can easily cost $90 at popular mountains, while snowshoeing and cross-country skiing can be as little as $30.
Revelers turn out for return of 1920s-era green streetcars in New ...
Revelers dotted the oak-lined avenue _ some waving or holding up drinks, others, carrying signs that read "No More Bus" or "Welcome Back," or offering riders Mardi Gras beads or high-fives. Councilwoman Stacy Head called the streetcars part of the city's identity _ "everything from the noise, the clanging down the avenue to the lights at night." The St. Charles line was the oldest continuously operating line in the world before Katrina shut it down in August 2005. It began operation in September 1835. "It's what makes New Orleans feel like home," she said. "It's as important as red beans and rice and Mardi Gras, and it's hard to explain to people who aren't part of this city how important this is as an icon and a real-life form of transportation." Karen Miller grew up riding the streetcar and took it to work before Katrina.
'Busycle' short of peoplepower for Saturday
The "Busycle" that occasionally lumbers around Palo Alto streets may not be able to get to the "City Ride" bicycling event at Mitchell Park Saturday morning because it's coming up short on pedal pushers, according to its owner, Martin Krieg. Krieg, who also rides a hi-wheeler "pennyfarthing" bicycle around town, created the Busycle, which uses peoplepower instead of horsepower to get around to special events. The problem Saturday is that most pedalers in town will be riding their own bikes to a Saturday-morning "City Ride" celebration of pedal-power transportation at Mitchell Park. The Buscycle is in Krieg's garage at 3329 Ramona St., just short of a mile from the park. The City Ride is part of the buildup to the Tour of California bike race that will kick off Sunday in a sprint from downtown Palo Alto to Stanford University.
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