N.J. puts slogan on back burner
New Jersey: We’re Not So Good With Slogans.
The state has jettisoned “Come See For Yourself,” its second attempt at a tagline in less than a year. It was the product of a statewide contest set up by then-acting Gov. Richard J. Codey last fall, after he rejected a consultant’s offering: “We’ll Win You Over.”
State tourism officials said legal issues led them to scrap the latest slogan, explaining that West Virginia and other states previously used “Come See For Yourself.”
“We are proceeding without the slogan. We will revisit the next steps at the end of the year,” Karen Wolfe, a spokeswoman for the state Commerce, Economic Growth and Tourism Commission, told the Press of Atlantic City for Saturday editions.
San Francisco
Nine hurt when ferry hits pier
Nine people suffered minor injuries when a ferry crashed into a pier in a bustling tourist area Saturday, authorities said.
The Baylink ferry, carrying 138 people, plowed into Pier 43 in the city’s Fisherman’s Wharf district around 4:20 p.m., according to city fire officials.
The boat had just left Pier 41 and was heading to Vallejo when it apparently lost control of its steering and veered into the wood pilings of nearby Pier 43. Nine people were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries.
The exact cause of the crash remained under investigation.
Sacramento, Calif.
Prisoner releases female hostage
A female correctional officer was released unharmed Saturday evening after a 10-hour hostage standoff that prompted a lockdown at a state prison, authorities said.
Michael David Watson, 41, was taken to an outside hospital for evaluation after releasing Sheila Mitchell, 45, shortly after 5 p.m.
The standoff began around 7 a.m. when Watson, armed with a six-inch metal knife made in the prison, grabbed Mitchell in the prison dining room and pulled her into an office, officials said.
The prison was secured and placed on full lockdown, as officials negotiated with Watson, a maximum-security inmate who had been assigned to work in the dining room.
Neither Watson nor Mitchell, a correctional officer for nine years, was injured.
Denver
General’s e-mail may violate rules
The Air Force said Saturday it is investigating whether a general violated military rules by sending an e-mail touting a veteran and conservative Christian who is running for Congress in Colorado.
Copies of the e-mails were made available to media by Mikey Weinstein, an Air Force Academy graduate who has sued the military in federal court over what he says is the growing dominance of the religious right in the Air Force.
The e-mail by Maj. Gen. Jack J. Catton was sent Thursday to more than 200 members of the academy class of 1976, including some still serving. It refers to Bentley Rayburn, a Republican seeking the seat of GOP Rep. Joel Hefley, who is stepping down after 10 terms.
“We are certainly in need of Christian men with integrity and military experience in Congress,” Catton’s e-mail says. “Please … join me in supporting his bid to continue serving our country.”
The e-mail came with a contribution form.