Washington, D.C.

Pornographer to sell Whitehouse.com site

The Whitehouse.com Web site, one of the best examples that the Internet isn’t always what it seems, is getting out of the pornography business.

Its owner says he’s worried what his preschool-age son might think.

“He’ll be going to kindergarten next year,” said Daniel Parisi, who started the Web site in 1997 that is frequently confused with the official government site, www.whitehouse.gov. Parisi, 44, said he worried that his son’s classmates might taunt him about the family’s business.

North Carolina

AIDS infection upsurge seen in young black males

A sudden, surprising increase in HIV infections has been discovered among male black college students in North Carolina, and officials fear the same is probably happening across the South.

The upsurge is driven by young men having risky sexual encounters with other men. Typically they do not consider themselves to be gay or bisexual and may even have girlfriends, as well.

The increase was first noticed in late 2002, and officials now believe it began in mid-2001 and is still continuing.

The high rate of AIDS infection among U.S. blacks has been one of the most striking difficulties of AIDS prevention. Blacks are 11 times more likely than white Americans to get AIDS. Even though they make up 12 percent of the population, they account for 39 percent of AIDS cases and 54 percent of new HIV infections.

Washington, D.C.

FTC wants faster updates of national do-not-call list

The government wants to shorten the time it takes for consumers who sign up for the do-not-call list to start seeing a drop-off in telemarketing calls.

Following a congressional order, the Federal Trade Commission announced a plan Tuesday to require telemarketers to obtain updated lists of phone numbers every 30 days, rather than every three months.

For example, if someone signs up in April he or she could be added to the list in May, rather than July. It also means consumers could file complaints against unwanted callers after one month instead of having to wait three months.

Wyoming

Judge overturns ban on snowmobiling in parks

Severe restrictions on snowmobiling in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks were blocked by a federal judge Tuesday, nearly two months after they were put in place.

U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer in Wyoming ruled that the restrictions would cause irreparable harm to companies that rely on snowmobiling in the parks due to lost business.

Brimmer issued a temporary restraining order against the restrictions and ordered the National Park Service to develop temporary rules for the rest of the 2004 season.

In December, just before the snowmobile season in the parks, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington, D.C., reinstated a Clinton administration plan to ban snowmobiles in favor of less-polluting mass-transit snow coaches.