Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/8035
6 LIVEMAGS.NET MARCH>>10 George W. Bush was the keynote speaker for the privately held 2010 Annual Legatus Summit retreat on "Challenging the Culture," which took place Thursday. February 4, to Saturday, February 6. The influential Catholic society summit convened at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point. Bush also received an award for his anti-abortion legislative decrees and for cutting funds for scientific research on stem cells during his two terms as president. Other speakers included actress Patricia Heaton of the television show Everybody Loves Raymond, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Newt Gingrich. Hours before he arrived, a group of activists protested Bush's presence, showing anti-Bush sentiment with hand-made signs outside the St. Regis. NATIONAL WRITER>>TOVA MORRISON Hundreds of inmates have been released by Orange County prisons, and over a thousand statewide. A new law took effect January 25 that permits California inmates to receive credits for good behavior while incarcerated. Sentence times for state prison convicts, according to the new state law, can be reduced by six weeks for each year served. At the county jail level, inmates can reduce half their sentence times. High risk prisoners that have been convicted of murder, rape, firearm assault, kidnapping, arson or sex crimes are not eligible to reduce their sentences. All told, legislators implemented this law to reign in $5 million spent annually on lower risk prisoners. Free Prisoners George W. Bush in Dana Point Rage Against Disneyland Hotel Toyota Recalls Washington D.C. Snowed In The Olympic Games In cooperation with the Anaheim Police, a group of disgruntled Disneyland Hotel employees demonstrated on Saturday, February 13, to resolve a contract dispute. The guitarist for Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello, fueled union members' fire in their request for health care coverage by the corporate giant, with an acoustic set of protest songs. Nine hotel union members who took on a hunger strike for their cause were "in their fifth day of consuming only water," the Orange County Register reported. Police closed Magic Way at the hotel's entrance for over two and a half hours for the demonstration and impromptu concert, which included about 150 spectators. LOCAL Toyota recalled 8 million cars, millions of which were sold to drivers in the United States. Cars that were recalled for potential "floor mat entrapment" of the gas pedal and/or accelerator pedal sticking in the depressed position include the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, VENZA, Prius and three Lexus models. In an effort to systematically fix the issues, Toyota dealerships sent out recall letters to owners and extended their servicing hours, some remaining open 24 hours a day, to adjust the floor mats and install a steel reinforcement bar to pedals for car owners. Focusing on repairing recalled vehicles, Toyota temporarily stopped production and sales of eight affected models. On February 9 the biggest snow blizzard on record stormed into the D.C. area causing the major East Coast airports, Dulles International and Reagan National, to close down and cancel thousands of flights. In New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania school was canceled, the U.S. Postal Service suspended mail delivery, highways were blocked off and the United Nations shut down for a day, the Washington Post reported. Officials warned residents to stay inside while white out conditions persisted. Electricity went down for the region and utility workers were not able to resume power while the snow fell in droves. Later that week snow was recorded in every state except Hawaii. The 2010 Winter Olympic Games began with tragedy when the Republic of Georgia luge athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvili, flew off the bobsled/luge course going almost 90 mph in a training run. He died after impact with a steel pole on the day of the opening ceremonies, February 12. Hosted in Vancouver during an abnormally warm and snowless winter, Canada's Olympic organizers had to import snow from higher elevations to fill the competition's ski and snowboard runs. The first U.S. win was made by 23-year-old skier Hannah Kearney of New Hampshire on February 13 in the women's moguls. With the winning score of 26.63 points, she earned a gold medal. IN REVIEW THEMONTH