Valerie Richardson
Articles by Valerie Richardson
Assisted suicide New Mexico ruling struck by higher court
The New Mexico Court of Appeals handed a defeat to the right-to-die movement Tuesday by striking down a lower-court ruling establishing physician-assisted suicide. Published August 11, 2015
EPA won’t face fines for polluting rivers with orange muck
Unlike BP, which was fined $5.5 billion for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, the EPA will pay nothing in fines for unleashing the Animas River spill. Published August 11, 2015
EPA expands closures to Animas and San Juan rivers from wastewater spill
The EPA isn't terribly popular in the aftermath of its toxic wastewater blowout, and the agency didn't gain any friends Monday by announcing that water from the Animas and San Juan rivers in three states will remain shut off for at least another week. Published August 10, 2015
EPA’s toxic spill has river users wanting accountability for agency
The EPA is known for its hard line on environmental offenders, but its own accountability is being challenged after its agents unleashed a disastrous toxic spill threatening water supplies in four Western states and two Indian reservations. Published August 9, 2015
Susana Martinez, New Mexico governor, bashes EPA for polluting Animas River with wastewater
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez blasted the EPA for accidentally flooding the Animas River with toxic orange wastewater, calling on the agency to hold itself to the same standard for the disaster as it would a private entity. Published August 8, 2015
Death-penalty foes play race card after James Holmes gets life instead of death
It didn't take long for critics of the death penalty to bring up race after James Holmes was sentenced Friday to life in prison instead of death for the deadly Aurora, Colorado, theater rampage. Published August 8, 2015
James Holmes sentenced to life in prison for Colorado massacre after jury splits
Aurora theater shooter James Eagan Holmes escaped the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole Friday after a Colorado jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision. Published August 7, 2015
EPA takes heat for toxic wastewater spill that turns Colorado river orange
The Environmental Protection Agency is coming under fire in Colorado after accidentally dumping one million gallons of acidic waste into the Las Animas River, turning it bright orange and threatening the community's water supply. Published August 7, 2015
Planned Parenthood, roiled by undercover videos, fighting to stay relevant
Planned Parenthood has been roiled by undercover videos exposing its handling of aborted fetal tissue, but a bigger problem may be the perception that the 99-year-old organization is rapidly becoming irrelevant. Published August 6, 2015
Alabama Gov. Bentley defunds Planned Parenthood affiliate
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced Thursday that he has cut the state's funding to Planned Parenthood, making his the third state to defund the organization since last month's release of alarming undercover videos. Published August 6, 2015
Planned Parenthood’s approval dips despite sparse media coverage of videos
A YouGov poll released Wednesday shows that Planned Parenthood's approval rating has dipped slightly even though 70 percent of adults have heard little or nothing about the release of alarming undercover videos, fueling charges of a snub by the news media. Published August 6, 2015
New Hampshire defunds Planned Parenthood facilities
Chris Sununu is a pro-choice Republican, but when he voted Wednesday to defund Planned Parenthood clinics in New Hampshire, he viewed it as a vote in favor of women's health, not against. Published August 5, 2015
Houston council moves transgender ‘bathroom bill’ to November ballot
Houston voters will decide in November whether to repeal the city's hotly contested equal-rights ordinance, also known as the transgender "bathroom bill," after a Wednesday vote of the city council. Published August 5, 2015
Pro-lifers’ plans to release more videos limited by judge’s order
David Daleiden's plans to release more undercover video on the fetal tissue business hit a wall Monday after a federal judge blocked his pro-life group from releasing any footage taken at the National Abortion Federation's annual meetings. Published August 3, 2015
Ben Carson dismisses ‘black lives matter’ vs. ‘all lives matter’ debate as PC ‘going amok’
Ben Carson, a 2016 GOP presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon, refused to back down Sunday after describing as "silly" the debate over "black lives matter" versus "all lives matter." Published August 3, 2015
Planned Parenthood: Senate to vote on defunding as judge weighs ban on video footage
The Senate is poised to vote Monday on a bill to defund Planned Parenthood brought by pro-life Republicans even as pro-choice groups take to federal court to stop the release of more graphic undercover videos on the fetal tissue business. Published August 2, 2015
Joe Biden 2016 bid becomes viable as Hillary Clinton sinks and Bernie Sanders surges
Stealing the thunder from the Republican Party's first presidential debate this week is a flurry of speculation about a Democrat: Vice President Joseph R. Biden. Published August 2, 2015
Bernie Sanders, Democratic challenger, blasts Hillary Clinton’s silence on Keystone XL Pipeline
Hillary Rodham Clinton took more heat Sunday over her repeated refusals to take a stand on the Keystone XL Pipeline, this time from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination. Published August 2, 2015
Donald Trump: Joe Biden would ‘do very well’ in presidential race against Hillary Clinton
Donald Trump says he likes Vice President Joseph R. Biden's chances of defeating front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. Published August 2, 2015
Court stops pro-life group from releasing details of top-secret abortion meetings
A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order late Friday to stop the Center for Medical Progress from releasing undercover video taken at the closed annual meetings of the National Abortion Federation. Published August 1, 2015
