Dorothy Abernathy, The Associated Press bureau chief for West Virginia and Virginia, shares the 10 things you need to know Friday, March 13, 2015. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items, upcoming events and stories in West Virginia newspapers.
1. HOW UKRAINIAN KIDS HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY WAR
AP’s Nataliya Vasilyeva finds that children orphaned or abandoned were then dumped by new families when Kiev stopped paying benefits to some foster families in rebel-held areas.
2. FREEDOM FROM JIHADIST GROUP COMES AT STEEP PRICE
In Iraq, a normal life away from the harsh dominion of the Islamic State group begins with newly-implemented departure taxes.
3. TERROR GROUP HAS NEW ALLY
Islamic State militants accept a pledge of allegiance by the Nigerian-grown Boko Haram extremist group, which has been weakened by a multinational African force.
4. PEACEFUL PROTESTS RETURN TO FERGUSON
Demonstrators call for calm but vow to keep pushing for change a day after the shooting of two police officers heightened tensions in the St. Louis suburb.
5. FEDS SEEK NEW RULES ON COMPUTER ACCESS
The Justice Department is at odds with Google and privacy groups over its push to make it easier to locate and hack into computers in criminal investigations.
6. WHAT NASA IS DOING TO SOLVE MAGNETIC MYSTERY
The space agency launches four identical spacecraft on a billion-dollar mission to study the explosive give-and-take of the Earth and sun’s magnetic fields.
7. WHY CENSORSHIP IS THRIVING IN INDIA
The suppression of ideas reflects a complex tangle of deep sensitivities and a political process that is deeply influenced by religious and caste loyalties.
8. WHERE THE PRESIDENT IS OFF TO NEXT
Obama pays a visit to the Veterans Affairs medical center in Phoenix, epicenter of the health care scandal that rocked the VA last year.
9. FOIA REQUESTS PRESENT HARDSHIPS
The public’s right to see government records is coming at an increasing price, and in many cases the fees and hourly charges are acting as barriers to transparency.
10. ‘I’M A FIVE-TOOL GUY’
Ruth, Musial, Mantle and … Ferrell? The funnyman storms through five spring training ballparks in Arizona, playing all nine positions.
