Jim Thorpe's Son Seeks Return of Remains

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By MARYCLAIRE DALE (AP) – Jun 24, 2010

PHILADELPHIA — A son of sports great Jim Thorpe sued the Pennsylvania town that bears his father's name Thursday, demanding that it return his remains to Oklahoma under a federal law designed to give Native American artifacts back to their tribal homelands.
Jack Thorpe, 72, of Shawnee, Okla., sued in federal court in Scranton, saying he had waited until the last of his half-sisters died to avoid a family conflict over the lawsuit.
"The bones of my father do not make or break your town," Jack Thorpe, a past chief of the Sac and Fox tribe, said of the defendants, who include numerous current and former town officials. "I resent using my father as a tourist attraction."
His father, a native Oklahoman born into the tribe, overcame humble roots to win the decathlon and pentathlon in the 1912 Olympics. Jim Thorpe later earned enviable sums playing professional football and baseball, and somewhat less playing the Indian in B-list Hollywood movies, then struggled financially before his March 1953 death in California at age 64.

Associated Press writer Michael Rubinkam in Allentown, Pa., contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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25 Miners Die in West Virgina Coal Mine

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Montcoal, West Virginia (CNN)  -- It could take up to two days to drill bore holes into a sprawling West Virginia coal mine, scene of a massive blast that left at least 25 miners dead, a mining official said Tuesday.

Bulldozers will be used to clear a path through the hills and bring in equipment to reach the affected part of the Upper Big Branch Mine, Kevin Stricklin of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said.

The holes will be drilled 1,200 feet down to help ventilate the mine and collect samples. Rescue crews early Tuesday halted their efforts to reach four miners still unaccounted for, as concentrations of methane and carbon monoxide posed a safety risk, Stricklin said.

"We're hoping to bulldoze our way up there today," he said. "And probably a good guesstimate would be about two days, to get the bore hole into the mine."

Asked about earlier estimates the drilling process could take about 12 hours, Stricklin said, "We can't put a bore hole into the mine at that depth in 12 hours."

President Obama said Tuesday that the federal government stands ready to offer support for the rescue and recovery efforts. He also offered his condolences to the family and friends of the miners killed in the accident.




From CNN – More at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/06/west.virginia.mine.explosion/index.html?eref=rss_latest&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+Most+Recent%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

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Sarah Palin

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March 27, 2010
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Palin shines in support role with McCain

Sarah Palin lent her star power among fellow conservatives to former running mate John McCain in his tough Senate reelection campaign, telling a rally yesterday that McCain pegged President Obama  right when he said the Democrat would swell the size of government.
  
McCain is facing the hardest election fight of his Senate career as he fends off a Republican primary challenge from the right. J.D. Hayworth, former Congressman and conservative talk-radio host, says McCain is too moderate for Arizona Republicans. Hayworth has tried to build support among activists who identify with the tea party movement.

Palin, among the most popular figures with those activists, appeared with McCain for the first time since the pair lost the 2008 presidential election.

“Everyone here supporting John McCain, we are all part of that tea party movement,’’ Palin said.

As the former Alaska governor and McCain took the stage, the crowd chanted, “Sarah, Sarah,’’ not the name of the man who just a year and a half ago topped his party’s ticket.

Palin took heat this week when she released a list of 20 US House seats she said conservatives should try to win in November. The list, posted on her Facebook page, featured a US map with circles and crosshairs over the 20 districts. She also sent a tweet saying, “Don’t Retreat, Instead — RELOAD!’’

Read complete article at: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/03/27/palin_shines_in_support_role_with_mccain/

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