Feb 8th, 2006 · An ordinance passed by Chicago's city council bans performances along part of North Michigan Avenue, one of the city's busiest shopping districts and a place where street performers can make good money by playing their instruments on the sidewalk.
Feb 2nd, 2006 · A Kansas statute that bans kids younger than 16 from having sex -- even if they are consensual partners of the same age -- is being challenged in court. The statute is of particular concern to reproductive rights groups because it requires healthcare providers to report all sexual activity of minors to authorities. Madeleine Brand talks with Slate legal analyst Dahlia Lithwick about the case.
Feb 1st, 2006 · The online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which allows users to edit entries on a wide range of subjects, has banned Capitol Hill computers from the editing process. The reason? Hill staffers tend to write glowing entries about their bosses. Alex Chadwick talks with Andrea Seabrook about some of the worst offenders, and just how far-ranging the problem is getting.
Jan 30th, 2006 · Several Midwestern states are considering laws that would limit protests at funerals, responding in particular to a religious group from Topeka, Kansas, which pickets at soldiers' funerals. The group has for years demonstrated at soldiers' funerals, arguing that the soldiers' deaths are a sign of God's wrath against the U.S. for tolerating gays and homosexuality.
Jan 20th, 2006 · A Maryland judge has ruled that a state law that bans same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. But the judge said she won't allow couples to get married while the attorney general appeals. While the ruling is a victory for efforts to allow same-sex unions, it is certain to be challenged.
Jan 17th, 2006 · Republican congressional leaders outline proposed changes in the way Congress interacts with lobbyists, including banning privately funded travel by members of Congress. The proposed changes come in the wake of lobbyist Jack Abramoff's guilty plea and other GOP-related corruption charges.
Dec 27th, 2005 · An Ohio lawmaker is suing Miami University, charging that its policy of offering benefits to employees' same-sex domestic partners violates an amendment to the state Constitution banning civil unions. Ohio is among a growing number of states where public colleges offering such benefits face legal challenges. Tana Weingartner of WMUB in Oxford, Ohio, reports.
Dec 20th, 2005 · Iran's hard-line president has banned all Western music from the country's state radio and television stations. It's a reminder of the 1979 Islamic revolution, when popular music was outlawed as un-Islamic.