• Iowa Court Elects Female Chief Justice. [Seattle Post Intelligencer] The state's highest court elected its first female chief justice Tuesday. Marsha K. Ternus, 55, of Des Moines, will succeed Louis Lavorato, who plans to retire at the end of the month. Iowa becomes the 16th state to currently have a woman chief justice.

• State’s Supreme Court Chief Blazed Trail for Female Jurists. [Appleton Post Crescent] Thirty years ago today, Shirley Abrahamson lifted her right hand and made history. Abrahamson, a 42-year-old attorney, took the oath of office Sept. 7, 1976, becoming the first woman to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In 1996, she became the first female chief justice in Wisconsin and has held that role since.

• Smart Women, Financial Worries. [Chicago Tribune] Can it be that smart, capable women are so worried about investing and planning for their future that they actually think they will end up living retirement as bag ladies? About 46% of the women surveyed said they worry about losing all their money and becoming bag ladies. And high incomes apparently are no cure. Among women with incomes over $100,000, 48% imagined themselves digging through the garbage.

• Rare Occurrence: Female Editorial Cartoonist Signs with Washington Post Writers. [Editor & Publisher] Lisa Benson's editorial cartoons will be syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. She'll join a small group of female editorial cartoonists with major syndicates.

• Female Business Owners Bridge Gender Gap. [The News-Press] In America, the median income for men working full-time was almost $10,000 more than full-time female workers last year. In Lee County, the gap is only about $7,000, but that hasn’t changed much since the 2000 Census. That year, the median annual earnings for men was $25,869; for women it was $18,332. Last year, the median earnings for both genders rose more than $10,000, but the gap barely shifted. In 2005, median earnings for men was $36,682, while it was $30,061 for women, a difference of $6,621.

• NJ Aiming to Award More Contracts to Minority and Women-Owned Businesses. [Bizjournals.com] New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine has signed an executive order establishing a new division within the Office of Economic Growth aimed at increasing minority and women-owned business enterprises' participation in the state's purchasing and procurement processes.  The Division of Minority and Women Business Development will administer and monitor policies, practices and programs to ensure the businesses are afforded an equal opportunity to participate, including a system for tracking, compliance and reporting of dollars spent with MWBEs in all purchasing categories. All state entities have been directed to designate a liaison in the next 30 days to assist their entity in achieving the division's goals.

• Lawsuit Accuses Bar Of Weighing Female Workers. [WCBS-TV New York] Two ex-waitresses at an East Side bar are suing their former employer, having filed a multimillion-dollar sex-harassment lawsuit, accusing their former bosses of ordering female employees to be weighed as part of a scheme to keep track of their weight. Alexandria Lipton, 25, and Kristen McRedmond, 27 claim they were humiliated and sexually harassed by their boss, whom they knew only by his first name, Neil. Lipton claims the manager kept tabs on waitresses' poundage by ordering some of them onto a scale in the restaurant's office.

• Florida No. 3 for Women-Owned Business Growth. [Bizjournals.com] The number of women-owned businesses in Florida grew by more than 29% from 1997 to 2002 -- faster than all but two other states. A report issued by the Small Business Administration ranks the 50 states by the percentage growth in the number of women-owned businesses. In 2002, Florida had 437,415 women-owned firms, up 29.5% from the 337,811 it had in 1997. Nevada posted the most dramatic increase, reporting 43% more women-owned businesses in 2002 than it had five years earlier. Georgia ranked second with a 34.8% increase, followed, in order, by Florida, New York and North Carolina. Nationwide, women owned 6.5 million companies in 2002, or more than 28% of all non-farm businesses in the nation.

• Minority, Female Inclusion Sought In The Banks Project. [WCPO] A task force is working hard to ensure minorities and women will be significantly included in the banks project. They want to help get minorities and women into apprenticeship programs offered by local unions. The Banks Working Group is comprised of five white males. Some critics want them to add a minority or female member to ensure diversity on The Banks project, but they've refused. However, the group did ask the president of the African American Chamber of Commerce to put together an inclusion task force and make recommendations for The Banks project. On Monday, a handful of task force members piled into a van and toured three different apprenticeship programs run by local labor unions. They want to help the unions get more women and minorities into apprenticeships for carpenters, pipefitters and sheetmetal workers and put them to work on The Banks project.

• Women Board Members Remain Small in Number. [Cherry Hill Courier Post] The number of women on the boards of the region's largest companies has only experienced minor progress since last year. The Forum of Executive Women is meeting to discuss the lagging growth of gender diversity on the boards of the Philadelphia area's 100-largest publicly held companies. "A lot of qualified women who would be great voices on boards have not been getting these opportunities historically," said forum President Kyra McGrath. "Any organization, company or entity benefits from a diversity of viewpoints in decision processes."

• Only W.Va. Has Female Hand on AFL-CIO Logo. [Daily Mail] The West Virginia AFL-CIO was the first in the nation to add a woman's hand to its logo. Nearly a decade later, it is still the only one to have made such a change, union leaders say.

• ASU Selects First Female Drum Major. [WSFA] Alabama State University's Marching Hornets are bigger and better than ever before: 280 members strong, three times their size six years ago. There's at least one other new feature-- the university's first ever female drum major, Ashley Dudley. Dudley says, "It's really overwhelming. I don't know how to take it, but I'm taking it day by day. It's all I can do." Drum majors are the ones you see leading the marches and conducting the music. It's a role traditionally held by men. Even though today's culture is more accepting of females filling the shoes, being the first anything brings a heightened awareness according to Oliver.

• Officials Expect Continued Increase in Female Student Enrollment. [KVOA.com] Women are increasingly making up the majority of Arizona's college students, enrollment figures show. At Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, they make up 53% of the student population. At Northern Arizona University, they make up 63%. University officials say they expect the increase to continue when the latest figures for fall 2006 are released this week. The national average of college-enrolled women is 57%.

• Bias Is Hurting Women in Science, Panel Reports. [New York Times] Women in science and engineering are hindered not by lack of ability but by bias and “outmoded institutional structures” in academia, an expert panel reported yesterday. The panel, convened by the National Academy of Sciences, said that in an era of global competition the nation could not afford “such underuse of precious human capital.” Among other steps, the report recommends altering procedures for hiring and evaluation, changing typical timetables for tenure and promotion, and providing more support for working parents.

• Panel Says Institutions Hinder Female Academics. [New York Times] Women in science and engineering are hindered not by lack of ability but by bias and “outmoded institutional structures” in academia, an expert panel reported today.  The panel, convened by the National Academy of Sciences, said that in an era of global competition the nation could not afford “such underuse of precious human capital.” Among other steps, the report recommends that universities alter procedures for hiring and evaluation, change typical timetables for tenure and promotion, and provide more support for working parents. “Unless a deeper talent pool is tapped, it will be difficult for our country to maintain our competitiveness in science and engineering,” the panel’s chairwoman, Donna E. Shalala, said at a news conference at which the report, “Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering,” was made public.

• The World's First Female Space Tourist Ready For Take Off. [KHON2] All systems are go for the world's first female space tourist to blast off. Iranian American Anousheh Anshari is spending 20 million dollars for a round-trip ticket to the international space station and back. She says the eleven day journey will be a dream come true. "Being the first female has inspired a lot of women and girls in Iran, especially being Iranian, and I've received numerous e-mails, messages of different sorts saying how proud of me they are, and they want to see me succeed," says Anousheh, Anshari, space tourist.

• First Female Space Tourist Takes Off. [ABC News] Dallas businesswoman Anousheh Ansari, who became the world's first paying female space tourist today when she took off on a Russian rocket bound for the space station. She is the fourth private astronaut to take a trip on a Russian spacecraft and visit the station. "I have been waiting for this moment all my life, and I am looking forward to this experience, not so much the rocket ride but the experience of weightlessness and seeing Earth from the space station," Ansari said before liftoff.

• World's First Female Space Tourist Arrives at Space Station. [People's Daily Online, China] A Russian Soyuz spaceship delivered the world's first female space tourist and a two-man crew to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, the Mission Control near Moscow said. The Soyuz TMA-9 capsule carrying Iran-born American Anousheh Ansari, Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin and U.S. astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria docked with the ISS at 9:21 a.m. Moscow time (0521 GMT), according to the Mission Control. Ansari was the first to float into the orbiting outpost, where she and the new Russian-U.S. crew were greeted by Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov, U.S. astronaut Jeffrey Williams and German astronaut Thomas Reiter.

• Women's Voting Group Elects Male President. [United Press International] Joel Shoner, 61, has been elected president of the Brookline, Mass., chapter of the League of Women Voters. Shoner told the Boston Globe that although it may seem strange to people to have a male president for such an organization, it does not seem strange to him, or to many of the chapter's members. "Why not?" asked former Brookline league president Shaari Mittel. "I'll put it that way: Why not? What's the big deal? That's what Joel would say, I'm sure." Shoner was elected unanimously in June. The Globe reported that he takes his job and title very seriously. The League of Women Voters was established in 1920, an outgrowth of the women's suffrage movement. Men were not allowed to join until 1974, and men remain a significant minority of the organization's membership.

• US Military Gay Policy Deteriorating Female Presence. [PinkNews.co.uk] Women continue to be discharged at twice the rate of their presence in the armed forces under the federal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law banning openly lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members, according to new data obtained by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. While women account for approximately 15% of the armed forces, they totaled 30% of those dismissed under the gay ban in fiscal year 2005.

• At 52, Texan Makes History as Oldest Fallen Female Soldier. [Houston Chronicle] Merideth Howard worked to gain the respect of her colleagues and fit into a male-dominated job when she became the city's first female firefighter more than 25 years ago. Last week, Howard earned another distinction, albeit a grim one. At 52, Sgt. 1st Class Merideth Howard became the oldest female U.S. soldier killed in action since military operations began in Afghanistan and Iraq when she and Staff Sgt. Robert Paul, 43, of The Dalles, Ore., were killed near Kabul, Afghanistan, when a car bomber slammed into their Humvee.

• Fort Lewis Female Soldier Dies in Iraq. [The Olympian] A soldier from a Fort Lewis support battalion has died in Iraq, the second soldier from the post to die in Iraq in two days, according to the Pentagon. Pfc. Hannah L. Gunterman, 20, of Redlands, Calif., died Monday in Taji from a noncombat-related cause, the Pentagon said. Gunterman was assigned to the 542nd Maintenance Company, 44th Corps Support Battalion.

• Female Texas Soldier Killed in Iraq. [News 8 Austin] A Texas soldier has died in Iraq after an improvised explosive device detonated near her Humvee. Second Lt. Emily J.T. Perez died Tuesday from injuries sustained in Al Kilf, Iraq. The 23-year-old joined the military in May 2005 as a Medical Service Corps Officer and was assigned to the 204th Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division since October 2005.  She deployed to Iraq in December 2005.

• From Victim To Accused Army Deserter. [Washington Post] Suzanne Swift remembers standing in her mother's living room, hours away from her second deployment to Iraq. Her military gear had already been shipped -- along with her Game Boy, her DVDs and books, her favorite pink pillow, her stash of sunflower seeds. She had the car keys in her hand, ready to drive to the base. Suddenly, she turned to her mother. "I can't do this," she remembers saying. "I can't go." The Army specialist, now 22, recalls her churning stomach. Her mother's surprise. All at once, she said, she could not bear the idea of another year like her first. She was sexually harassed by one superior, she said, and coerced into a sexual affair with another. Now Swift is bracing for a possible court-martial. Arrested in June for going AWOL, she detailed three alleged sexual offenses to Army officials, who began an investigation. One incident had already been verified and the perpetrator disciplined. But last Friday, the Army ruled that the two other incidents could not be substantiated. It will soon decide whether to take disciplinary action against Swift for her five-month absence.

• Female Concentration Camp Guard Deported. [Jewish Telegraphic Agency] The U.S. government deported a woman who served as a World War II-era concentration camp guard. Elfriede Lina Rinkel, 83, recently returned to her native Germany after a plea bargain in which she admitted to serving at Ravensbruck, a concentration camp for women. Rinkel immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1959, but never applied for citizenship. The case against her was brought by the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Special Investigations, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security.

• Couric: 1st Female Solo Anchor of Major US TV Newscast. [Xinhua, China] Katie Couric, who has worked at NBC for 15 years, becomes America's first female solo anchor of a major television network evening newscast.

• Hope That More Women Enter Door Katie Couric is Opening. [Rochester Democrat and Chronicle] Katie Couric is the first woman in U.S. history to hold this spot on her own accord without a co-anchor. Up until now the major television networks have only assigned women news anchors in teams with male counterparts or as temporary fill-ins to cover during assignments or vacations. For almost 30 years, since 1977, the majority of college journalism students have been women. Yet, women constitute just 39% of the work force in television news. Also, only 25% of television news directors are women; 17% are executive producers; and 35% are newsroom supervisors. And most of those positions are at stations of 10 or fewer workers.

• She Looked Like a Little Girl Who Had to Go Potty. [New York Post] Katie Couric last night underwent her second on-air colonoscopy. For her very first night as CBS News diva, Katie spent a half-hour looking as if she desperately had to go potty. Her back was so stiff as she looked into the camera, pop-eyed and self-conscious, I feared it would snap. Her face was Botoxed beyond normal human endurance, proving that even pampered, overpaid news babes possess the courage to suffer for their art. And for the first time in history that a female was allowed to deliver a network's evening news alone, Katie chose to wear an unfortunate white blazer - the result, no doubt, of some jokester lying to her face when Katie asked, "Does this make me look fat?"

• Women Dominate Preliminaries. [Indianapolis Star] Gifted women were a force to be reckoned with during Monday's preliminary round at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. That may continue, as throughout the preliminaries at the Indiana History Center women will outnumber males by a 2-1 margin.

• When the Magazine Girl Begs ‘Come Hither,’ the (Female) Reader Yawns. [University of Florida] For female magazine readers, sex doesn’t sell so much as it — bores. So conclude three University of Florida advertising professors in a new study that gauged young women’s emotional responses to ads featuring beautiful women from Vogue, Allure and other women’s magazines. The hotter the model’s attire or look, the more it left the women, well, cold. What the 100-plus college-age women surveyed in the study found far more appealing than provocative sex kittens were natural, pretty-in-an-everyday-way types, a look the researchers describe as wholesome.

• A Take On 'The Women' For Modern Times. [Boston Globe] "The Women" is one of those plays that -- if not done with an eye toward modern sensibilities -- could turn off audiences. These days, performing Clare Booth Luce's 1936 play as if it were just about bitchy, backstabbing women is going to raise hackles. In ``The Women," Mary, a Manhattan socialite who thinks she has the perfect husband, discovers through the grapevine that he's cheating on her. Heading West for a divorce, she's advised by a gaggle of women, friendly and not, on whether to stay in the marriage. In the end she makes her own decision

• USTA Agrees to Add Female and Minority Umpires. [Reuters.uk] The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) will increase the number of female and minority chair umpires at its tournaments in an agreement with the New York attorney general's office announced on Thursday. "Qualified female and minority umpires should be afforded equal opportunities to work at professional sporting events," Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said. "This agreement will help ensure that this happens at USTA tournaments, and will provide a positive example throughout the sports world." The attorney general's office began a probe of the USTA last year after receiving complaints about discrimination from current and former umpires, and a review of umpiring assignments in recent years found gender disparities. From 2003 to 2005, female umpires chaired about half of the main draw women's matches but only a small fraction of the main draw men's matches at the U.S. Open.

• Missouri Changes Rule on Female Wrestlers. [International Herald Tribune, France] Female wrestlers in Missouri have prevailed in a battle over submitting to costly pregnancy tests before competing. The state Office of Athletics announced Friday it was changing its rule requiring female professional wrestlers to provide proof from doctors that they were not pregnant within a week of every match. That rule took effect in November and is part of state requirements for licensing contact sports such as professional boxing, wrestling and martial arts.

• Patty Berg Was a True Pioneer in Women's Golf. [San Jose Mercury News] Long before there was a Michelle Wie, Patty Berg was golf's teenage trailblazer. The Hall of Famer, who died Sunday in Fort Myers, Fla., was runner-up at the 1935 U.S. Women's Amateur at 17 - a mere tot in a day when many clubs closed their doors to women. Five years later, Berg became one of the first women to step into the professional ranks. She won the first U.S. Women's Open in 1946, then in 1950 became one of the LPGA's 13 founding members. Rare is the early milestone in which Berg wasn't somehow involved.

• Wie is Damaging Women's Golf, says Sevil. [The Age, Australia] A leading Australian tour official has warned teenage American Michelle Wie's infatuation with the men's tour is damaging to women's golf. Australian Ladies Professional Golf general manager Warren Sevil says the tall, stylish 16 year-old is not winning any fans among her peers by continuing to tee up in PGA Tour events against the men and failing to make cut after cut. Sevil said Wie is still big news even though she is shooting scores like 84 and missing cuts. The Hawaiian, who's missed six successive cuts in men's tournaments, has revealed she wants to play in the US Masters and one day contest the prestigious Ryder Cup men's trans-Atlantic team competition. Her latest effort to make a cut in a US PGA Tour event failed by more than 20 shots, renewing concerns she's starting to do women's golf more harm than good. "Does she realize people are laughing at her?" Sevil asked.

• Women Golfers. [WFMY News 2] Even though they remain a small part of the market, the upward trend in female interest has caught the attention of resorts looking for new ways of attracting customers. A number of them, including Pinehurst, are courting women through gender specific classes and programs designed to introduce golf as a fun challenge.

• Women's Rugby Brings the Pain. [Web Devil] There are few women's sports around so barbaric that most American men refuse to take part. That's where the ASU women's rugby team comes in to fill the void. But because the game is so brutal, recruiting for the team poses an interesting challenge. "We always get a lot of girls out in the beginning," said Nikki Garcea, a senior marketing major and flanker for the team. "But then they start to think, 'Maybe this isn't the right sport for me,' or they might think it's too rough."

• Women’s Soccer Remains Undefeated. [Planet Blacksburg] The Virginia Tech women’s soccer team added two more wins to its record over the weekend, improving to 3-0-1 on the season.   Both wins came at the UNC-Greensboro Tournament against the host UNC-Greensboro Spartans and the High Point University Panthers. Coach Kelly Cagle said she and her players are very happy with where they are at this point in the season and attribute their success to team chemistry. However, they do recognize there is a lot of work to be done in preparation for the ACC schedule.

• Women and Football: Tackling a Touchy Subject. [Kansas.com] Is there a place for women in football? Sure, there is -- down along the sidelines, gyrating in skimpy outfits. Just kidding! Just wanted to see if anybody is still reading! Please don't hit me, Boss Who Happens to Be a Woman! Of course, there are women who know as much about football as any man, who can toss and catch the pigskin with the best of them. Every year a story emerges about a young woman who's played her way onto a high school or college football team somewhere. To which I want to say to these women: Are you crazy? As someone who gladly gave up actually playing the game in junior high, I can vouch that it can be an extremely painful sport at even the lowest levels.

• Symposium Will Delve to Find the Female Beauty Within. [San Diego Union Tribune] Size zero celebrities. Billions spent on diet aids and anti-aging products. Hundreds of thousands of women spending vacations not lounging on beach towels, but on plastic surgery tables. Beauty – of the young, thin kind – is an obsession in America. The Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership, a New York-based organization co-founded by feminist Naomi Wolf, will hold a free symposium to discuss the impact of narrowly defined beauty ideals on the self-esteem of women and girls. Panelists, including women from academia, the media and girls' organizations, will discuss their personal experiences and ways to help parents protect their daughters from the negative effects of beauty culture. The symposium will include a question-and-answer session.

• 2nd Female Grad Files Suit Against Former Counselor. [Connecticut Post] A second female Derby High School graduate who claims she was groped by her high school guidance counselor has filed a lawsuit against the man and the Derby Board of Education. The counselor, Alexander Maffeo, 63, was forced to resign in February 2005 after a 37-year career. He was convicted in Derby Superior Court of two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault involving the two victims who are now suing him.

• Coe's Attorney Asks for Postponement. [The Spokesman Review] The attorney appointed to represent the South Hill rapist said today that he plans to file a motion next week to postpone the probable cause hearing necessary for the state’s effort to civilly commit Kevin Coe as a sexually violent predator. Sheriff’s deputies transported Coe to Spokane on Thursday from Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, which Coe has called home for the past 25 years for his conviction in a criminal case that paralyzed many Spokane women in fear and became international news that was the basis of a true crime book. Although more were reported, Spokane Police investigators attributed 43 sexual attacks to the South Hill rapist between 1978 and 1981. Spokane Police eventually arrested Coe in 1981 and charged with him with six rapes of which a jury later convicted him of four.

• Four Men Face Trial for Gang Rape of Two Women. [Monterey County Herald] Four Salinas men were ordered to stand trial for the alleged gang rape of two South County women. The men, all in their 20s, face possible life sentences if convicted. According to testimony at their preliminary hearing Friday, Salvador Galindo Gonzales, Armando Galindo Gonzales, Felipe Gonzalez and Nicholas Cimientos raped the women in a Castroville artichoke field on the night of June 3. Soledad police investigator Thomas Marchese testified that the women, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, met one of their attackers while they were attending the Soledad Fiesta Days celebration that night. Jane Doe 1 told Marchese that she asked Armando Gonzales to take a picture of her and her friend, and that he then followed them around the festival, trying to "hit on them."

• Tribal Governments Get Funding to Stop Violence Against Women. [KOB-TV] The US Department of Justice has awarded the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council $350,000 to help tribal governments and law enforcement in handling violence against Indian women. The Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council encompasses eight New Mexico tribes and includes about 30-thousand people. The funds will go toward the STOP Violence Against Indian Women Discretionary Grant program, which develops strategies to help stop domestic violence, dating violence and sexual assault.

• Vassar's Program to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women on Campus. [Mid-Hudson News] The Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women has allocated over $194,000 to continue the Vassar College Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention Program. That program began in 2003 with a similar amount of funding. The program will provide resources for Vassar students and area youth. Working with four community partners – the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Dutchess County District Attorney's Office, the Rape Crisis Center and the Battered Women's Services – and will increase awareness of such topics as relationship abuse, stalking, and online victimization; create educational materials and conduct in-house trainings on these topics. College Director of Health Education Michelle Soucy said the program has resulted in more women stepping forward.

• Immigrants Often Silent on Family Violence. [Rocky Mountain News] Behind a locked front door with iron bars, in the safety of an upstairs room at a Denver domestic violence shelter, a half circle of women, mostly illegal immigrants, shared stories of desperation and terror. Bertha Garza, a bilingual program manager at Safehouse shelter, said she is alarmed by the growing number of women who have come to her - and not police - for help. "Is there underreporting of domestic violence? Absolutely," said Garza, who has been a counselor for nine years. "A lot of women that we're seeing are undocumented. In most instances, the husband or the boyfriend threatens them by telling them that if they call police, they will be taken away by immigration authorities. It's using immigration as emotional blackmail."

• Vigil Will Spotlight Domestic Violence. [Hickory Daily Record] Seven months. Thirty-three deaths. That’s the toll domestic violence has taken on this state so far this year. People at the Family Guidance Center hope to shed some light on this social ill by shining their lights in a candlelight vigil on Thursday. Women fail to report domestic violence for a variety of reasons. Often, victims fear of loss of a spouse’s income, losing their children or are simply intimidated.

• Volunteers Needed to Help Victims of Intimate Partner Violence. [KeepMEcurrent.com] Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women, a nationally known non-profit organization, is looking for volunteers to assist victims of intimate partner violence.  Volunteers are needed to cover our toll free crisis line. Full training is offered. You may answer calls right from your home on weekdays, nights, weekends and/or holidays. The training is 40 hours and will consist of online and teleconferencing sessions. A new training session will begin soon.

• Strange Man Spotted Following Women In Plano Park. [NBC5i.com] Plano police have issued a warning to women who use the city's parks. Police said they received several reports of a strange man following women in the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. Investigators said the man wears black clothes and shoes and drives an older-model black Ford Escort. Authorities in Plano are encouraging women not to exercise in the parks alone. Police also said women should carry a whistle to attract attention should they run into a problem.

• Police Warn Female Drivers of 'Good Samaritan'. [WFAA] Police say a man who poses as a Good Samaritan for female drivers may be up to something more sinister. Over 30 women in Kaufman County have reported that a white male, around 250 pounds and just over 6 feet tall, has asked them to pull over after he said he notices something wrong with their car. "He tells them that there are sparks coming out of the back-end of their car, or something is wrong with their tire to get them out of their car," said a female employee at a local restaurant who said she has been passing on the news to other female co-workers. The man then asks the woman to follow him to a gas station so he can examine the so-called problem further. However, so far none of the women that have made reports actually followed the man.

• Police Question Man Who Drove Through Women's Health Clinic. [Quad City Times] Davenport police are questioning a man accused of driving a compact car through the Edgerton Women’s Health Center, causing substantial damage. Officials said the incident happened at 4:31 a.m. at 1510 E. Rusholme St. The eastbound car, driven by David McMenemy, was driven though the parking lot, past a grassy bermed area, over a paved driveway and through the center’s double-entrance doors. The vehicle ended up in the middle of the lobby, where it ignited smoke and fire alarms that summoned Davenport firefighters.

• Conflict Between Women's Groups Heating Up. [CanadianChristianity.com, Canada] An ongoing conflict between two Canadian women's groups was the focus of some mainstream media coverage recently. The object of the controversy was a letter sent by REAL Women of Canada (RW) to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Members of Parliament who are considered 'friendly' to RW's perspective. The letter urged that the government cease funding Status of Women Canada (SW), a government agency, claiming it is discriminatory because it supports only feminist perspectives -- and thus, does not speak for all Canadian women. The letter also urged disbanding Parliament's Standing Committee on the SW.

• Minister Stays Silent on Women's Funding. [Calgary Sun, Canada] The federal cabinet minister in charge of promoting women's equality has failed to come to the defence of her own department, heightening fears the Conservative government is poised to slash it. For the second day in a row, Bev Oda did not answer direct questions yesterday about continued funding for Status of Women Canada. At least one women's group that receives money from the agency have been forced to close their doors in recent weeks.

• Women's Groups Face Funding Cuts. [Toronto Star] The Conservative government is poised to unveil more than $1 billion in spending cuts but some women's groups say they're already feeling the knife as their funding runs dry. NDP and Liberal MPs have accused the Conservatives of using a spending review — expected to be released next week — as a guise to gut Status of Women Canada and the nationwide organizations it funds that seek to give women a greater voice and greater equality. "Women's organizations are being forced to shut their doors," said New Democratic Party MP Irene Mathyssen, the party's critic for status of women issues.

• Take Back the Night Raises Women's Issues. [London Free Press, Canada] They make up more than half the population on the planet and last night they vowed to rise up and refuse to be ignored anymore. The annual Take Back the Night march, an event staged across the globe, was held last night after rousing speeches and chants. "Imagine a society where women could walk in safety . . . without fear of harassment, fear of abuse and fear from discrimination. We are very far from that reality," Coun. Susan Eagle read from a speech written by MP Irene Matthyssen, who couldn't attend.

• Researcher Seeks Female Stories. [Comox Valley Record, Canada] A local writer is looking for 50 women and girls to share their stories about body weight and image to be published in a new book. Mia Sutherland, former owner of Fitness Excellence in Courtenay, has started writing and interviewing women and would like to meet more in the next few months.

• Life After Rape: A Victim's Tale. [Montreal Gazette] A survey on date rape shows 60% of Canadian college-aged males indicated they would commit sexual assault if they were certain they would not get caught. The majority of date and acquaintance rape victims are young women age 16 to 24, placing the bulk of Canada's date/acquaintance rape victims in late high school and early college or university. In fact, 15 to 30% of university women report experiencing acquaintance rape. Studies in 1995 at the University of Victoria estimated between one in six and one in four women have experienced sexual assault during their university career. More than 80% of rapes that occur on university and college campuses are committed by someone the victim knows, and 50% occur on dates. Many of these assaults happen during the first eight weeks of classes.

• Women’s House to Get $400,000. [Shoreline Beacon, Canada] The Women’s House Serving Bruce and Grey has received financial support which will allow it to build Second Stage Housing in local municipalities starting with Saugeen Shores. On September 1, Women’s House executive director Casey Weichert announced that Bruce Power, Port Elgin Home Hardware, Brampton Brick and the Town of Saugeen Shores were all making various contributions to build transitional housing for women and their children.

• Canadian Women Get Olympic Spot. [London Free Press, Canada] Canadian women's softball team has earned a berth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Lauren Bay of Trail, B.C., and Robin Mackin of Newmarket combined on a no-hitter as Canada defeated Italy 3-0 at the world championship yesterday to qualify for the Summer Games for the fourth straight time since the sport's addition in 1996.

• Canada Comes Within Inches of Women's Rugby World Cup Final. [Globe and Mail, Canada] Canada will be playing for bronze at the Women's Rugby World Cup despite pushing England to the limit in a narrow 20-14 loss on Tuesday in Edmonton.  England had outscored Canada 234-41 in the four previous World Cup matches between the two nations including a 53-10 victory in the same second-versus-third semifinal in Barcelona in 2002.

• Canada Routs Spain in Women's Rugby. [Victoria Times Colonist, Canada] Maria Gallo scored five tries as Canada hammered Spain 79-0 Monday at the Women's Rugby World Cup.

• GAO: Deaths of Women Crossing Border Doubled in Seven Years. [Arizona Daily Star] Deaths of illegal immigrants crossing the Southwest border have surged since the mid-1990s, with the majority of the increase between 1998 and 2005 concentrated in Arizona, according to a report to Congress. Meanwhile, the report found the number of deaths among women illegal immigrant crossers has more than doubled in those same seven years _ and more than half died in Arizona. While most deaths have involved men, deaths among women rose from 9 percent to 21 percent of the total between 1998 and 2005, according to the Border Patrol data. "Deaths among women in the Tucson sector accounted for the majority of the overall increase in deaths among women in all sectors," the study said.

• US Ambassador in Mexico Warns of Increasing Crime. [Voice of America] The U.S. ambassador to Mexico is warning U.S. citizens traveling in Mexico to use caution because of increasing violence and criminal activity, especially along the 3000-kilometer border.  The warning comes at a time when people in one border town are observing an especially painful anniversary related to cross-border crime. The ambassador's letter comes at an especially difficult time for one family in Laredo. Two years ago, Brenda Cisneros and her friend, Yvette Martinez, crossed the border to celebrate her birthday at a Nuevo Laredo club. Neither of the young women has been seen since. Her father, Pablo Cisneros says he believes his daughter was kidnapped by corrupt policemen in Nuevo Laredo, and then turned over to drug-smugglers. He said her ability to speak both English and Spanish may have made her useful to the drug-traffickers. Law enforcement officials, however, believe it is also possible the women were kidnapped and forced into prostitution.

• Dance Review The Fate of Maya Women Forced Into Exile in Yucatán. [New York Times] In “Aktun Spukil,” a full-evening dance named for the caves in Yucatán where the Maya found refuge during 19th-century battles, four women contemplate exile and ruin. But before the adventure can begin, Ms. Loret de Mola curls on her side, eyes shut, with her lower half tangled in long, fraying strands of off-white fabric. Another dancer, Colleen Cintron, leans against a wall, her body and face shrouded by red fringe.

Antigua and Barbuda

• Masked Gunman Rapes Women. [AntiguaSun, Antigua and Barbuda] Two women in their early 20s were violated last week by a lone, masked gunman who entered their home and raped them both late last week. According to police reports the women were asleep when the man attacked. One of the women recounted that she was in her bedroom, when shortly after 4:30 a.m. she felt someone fondling her. She awoke to find a man standing next to her bed. She started screaming, which awoke her roommate, who was sleeping in the same bed.

• Female PC on Hand to Deal with Abuse. [Cayman Net News, Cayman Islands] Victims of domestic violence on Cayman Brac can choose to talk to a woman officer from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) if they prefer, and it is hoped that this will encourage more people to come forward. Community Police Officer Rob Stewart, who is in charge of coordinating domestic violence cases on the Sister Islands, is now supported by Police Constable Carla Gratrick, who transferred from the RCIPS Family Support Unit (FSU) on Grand Cayman in March.

• Money Yields Power, But Not Equality, for Dominican Migrant Women. [UN News Centre] Dominican Republic women who migrated abroad to earn more money were empowered by their new roles as household breadwinners and decision-makers but were still expected to conform to traditional gender roles, according to a study released by the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women.

• Portia #89 of World's 100 Most Powerful Women. [Jamaica Observer] Jamaica's prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, has been ranked 89th in Forbes Magazine's 100 most powerful women worldwide.

• Female PNP VP Contenders Confident of Victory. [radiojamaica.com, Jamaica] The two female contenders in the Peoples National Party's (PNP) Vice Presidential race are expressing cautious optimism that they will be in the top four when the votes are counted Saturday afternoon. If the two women succeed, it will be the first time that female politicians would occupy more than one Vice Presidential position at any given time in the history of any of the two major political parties. In recent years, both political parties have had a single prominent female occupying one of the four deputy leadership positions.

• Sherone Simpson is the Top Female Sprinter in the World. [radiojamaica.com] Jamaica's Sherone Simpson is the biggest mover in this month’s IAAF word rankings and is now the top 100 and 200 meter female sprinter in the world. The commonwealth champion moves up three places to the top spot in the women's 200 meters replacing previous leader Belgium's Kim Gaevert. Simpson also continues to leads the 100 meter rankings. With the top event rankings, Simpson has also moved to 4th in the women's overall rankings.

• Rape Victims March for Justice. [The Associated Press] Wearing white dresses and black masks, 150 rape victims marched through Haiti's capital Friday to demand justice and an end to discrimination against them.

• Haiti Rape Victims' Walk Held to Demand Justice. [Edmonton Sun, Canada] Wearing white dresses and black masks, 150 rape victims marched through Haiti's capital yesterday to demand justice and an end to discrimination against them. Chants of "We will not give up the fight!" rose up as the protesters, including teenagers and elderly women, walked slowly to Haiti's National Palace. It was the first public demonstration in years by women calling attention to rape, which is rarely prosecuted in Haiti and carries a stigma against victims.

• Canadian Troops Accused of Making Rape, Death Threats. [Regina Leader-Post, Canada] Canadian troops and police with the United Nations in Haiti made death threats during house raids and made sexual threats against women while drunk and off-duty, according to Haitians interviewed as part of a meticulous human-rights survey by U.S. researchers in December 2005 published this week in the British medical journal The Lancet.

• Woman Recounts Gang-Rape Horror in Haiti. [Washington Post] One of three women who claim she was gang-raped by soldiers loyal to a former Haitian strongman testified Tuesday that one attack took place as her five small children watched. Masked men burst into her home in Port-au-Prince in 1994 and raped her while her children saw "everything that was being done to me," she said through an interpreter and behind a large video screen to shield her identity.