Headlines Package - August 7, 2008

• Pakistan's Musharraf Faces Possibility of Impeachment
• Humbolt Added to List of Northern CA Counties Under State of Emergency
• Embattled Detroit Mayor Behind Bars
• Native Hawaiians Block Construction of Mansion Atop Burial Ground
• Kirkuk Dispute Delays Iraqi Provincial Elections

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Pakistan's Musharraf Faces Possibility of Impeachment
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is one step closer to losing power after the ruling coalition in Parliament announced it may begin impeachment proceedings against the former general. Musharraf seized the presidency in a 1999 coup, but later sealed his hold on power through elections. Today's announcement forced Musharraf to definitively cancel his plans to travel to Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic games. A successful impeachment effort will require a 2/3 Parliamentary majority. But under Pakistani law, Musharraf has the power to dissolve parliament. Analysts also point to the uncertain factor of how the military will react to the possible impeachment of its former top general.

Humbolt Added to List of Northern CA Counties Under State of Emergency
Wildfires continue to burn in Northern California. The state's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has declared an emergency in Humboldt County due to unprecedented smoke and poor air quality. Christina Aanestad has more.

A total of 13 counties in Northern California are under a state of emergency since dry lightening strikes in late June sparked more than 1700 separate fires across the heavily-forested region. State officials are now warning of unhealthy air quality in Humboldt County, urging people to limit outdoor activity. A helicopter carrying Oregon-based firefighters crashed earlier this week in nearby Shasta Trinity National forest. Eight firefighters and the helicopter's pilot are missing and could be dead. 4 others survived the crash with injuries. One survivor told the Los Angeles Times that a rotor seemed to have collided with a tree during takeoff from the clearing where the firefighters were being picked up after 3 days on duty. Calfire officials estimate more than 1 million acres have burned across Northern California. The estimated cost? 300 million dollars. Calfire reports most of the fires have been contained, however some fires may not be put out until the start of the fall rains. Northern California’s fire season lasts through October. Dry lightening warnings were issued earlier this week in Mendocino County. Calfire officials say the fire season in southern California is now year round. I’m Christina Aanestad reporting for Free Speech Radio News.

Embattled Detroit Mayor Behind Bars
The embattled mayor of Detroit will be spending the night in jail upon orders from a district court judge. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was found to have violated his bond for a recent trip across the Detroit River to Windsor, Canada. Kilpatrick said the trip was part of official business related to the sale of half of the tunnel connecting the two cities. The mayor is facing charges of official misconduct, perjury and obstruction of justice stemming from allegations that he lied under oath about a suspected affair with his former chief of staff. Kilpatrick, who has refused to step down, is due in court again tomorrow.

Native Hawaiians Block Construction of Mansion Atop Burial Ground
Hawaiian activists are set to block the construction site of a mansion being built on top of a Hawaiian burial ground on Kauai. Anne Keala Kelly reports.

[Rogers clip] "Our kupuna cannot speak because they are in the spiritual realm, but they are here and we are speaking for them. They are speaking through us." That's Puanani Rogers, one the Hawaiians who have been camping out on Naue, a scenic beach on Kauai's North Shore. She is speaking to one of the builders hired by wealthy developer and California resident Joseph Brescia. Brescia was given permission by the state of Hawaii to build a 7500 square foot vacation home on top of a Hawaiian burial ground. [Sausen clip] "This is not the first time I've been up against this man. He moved my kupuna to put a septic tank." Louise Sausen, longtime area resident and genealogical descendant of the Hawaiians buried along the shoreline, is referring to the other vacation homes on burials along this beach that Brescia has already built and sold. Construction on top of the burial ground began last month. Rogers, Sausen and other Hawaiians will be protesting further work at the site today in hopes that the state will intervene and protect the Hawaiian remains interred there. For FSRN, I'm Anne Keala Kelly.

Kirkuk Dispute Delays Iraqi Provincial Elections
A dispute over control of the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk has delayed parliamentary approval of a law that would have laid the groundwork for regional elections in 2009. The semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kuristan wants to annex Kirkuk into its territory, while members of other ethnic groups residing in the oil-rich city want it to remain under the jurisdiction of the central government. The Iraqi parliament failed to resolve the issue before it's summer recess.