Top 5 Local Politics Stories Of The Week

Nov. 30, 2012 -- quicklist:1title: Kentucky Mayor Resigns After Drug Arresttext:A Kentucky mayor resigned after being arrested for allegedly selling marijuana to an undercover police officer.

Danny Sparks, Mayor of Olive Hill, Ky., was arrested on November 28 on charges of felony trafficking, for allegedly selling marijuana to an undercover officer within 1,000 feet of his city's elementary school.

Sparks, who also allegedly had an open container of alcohol in his car at the time of his arrest, wrote in his resignation letter that what happened was something he'd never done before and that he deeply regrets it.

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quicklist:2title:Cory Booker to Begin Food Stamp Diettext:Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker said that he will honor the Twitter challenge that he made to a Facebook follower in early November by committing to live on a budget equivalent to that of food stamp recipients for a week starting Tuesday, December 4.

"December 4 to 11. Seven days," Booker tweeted. For seven days, the mayor will limit himself to an average of $1.40 for each meal.

Booker initially tweeted on November 25, "An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics," A quote by the Greek historian, Plutarch, which prompted a Twitter skirmish with a follower who then accused Booker of wanting to redistribute wealth.

Booker then responded to the Twitter handle, @MWadeNC, "Lets you and I try to live on food stamps in New Jersey (high cost of living) and feed a family for a week or month. U game?"

The North Carolinian tweeter, who describes herself as an Army wife, accepted the mayor's challenge but she is not sure that she will do it the same week as Booker.

The woman, who requested to remain anonymous, told the Associated Press said that she has heard nothing from Booker or his office since he pledged to live off of food stamps. She was reportedly upset that he had not consulted her about the dates to uphold the challenge, and announced it only on Twitter.

"I don't think it's fair to be challenged and just find out from the Internet when I'm supposed to take part," she said in a telephone interview. "I would have appreciated the consideration that I have a life as well."Regardless, she vowed to participate for at least one week.

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quicklist:3title: Rage in Staten Island Town Hall Meetingtext: Hurricane Sandy continues to have effects in Staten Island, when a town hall discussion regarding the recovery erupted in outrage.

Staten Islanders attended a town hall meeting at New Dorp High School to voice their frustration about lackluster recovery efforts post-Sandy.

The high school auditorium was jammed packed with over 700 people shouting and shedding tears begging for relief for those who lost everything last month.

Borough President of Staten Island, James Molinaro attempted calm the rousing crowd but the New Yorkers became increasingly enraged.

"You think it's a joke? You really think this is a joke," one angry man yelled.

"You go home for the holidays. I don't. But you sit there with your dumb smile. You know what? I wish it was election year, because you'd do better this year."

And "No one is doing what's right for us," another woman shouted.

An additional 100 people filled the hallway right outside the doors as town hall goers howled as officials delivered less than satisfying responses.

"The reason why this place is mobbed," one man said, "these are the people that weren't helped."

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quicklist:4title: Petition Filed Over Easy Bake Oventext: McKenna Pope, an ambitious 13-year-old, has rallied for the cause of gender equality by petitioning Hasbro, the creator of the Easy Bake Oven, to create a model for boys, too.

Pope, who posted her petition on Change.org, took up the cause for her little brother who loves to cook.The teen claims the toy has a gender bias, geared only toward girls, and the belief prompted her to create a video in which she asks her 4-year-old brother why he thought that only girls were featured in the Hasbro commercials.

"Is this really the message we want to send to our youth?" Pope asks at the end of her video, posted on YouTube. "I thought that as a society, we have far moved past that but no, we continue to force the stereotype that men don't cook, they work."

Pope hopes to have Hasbro feature males on the packaging and in promotional materials for the Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven.

"I want my brother to know that it's not 'wrong' for him to want to be a chef" Pope posted on the Change.org website along with a letter to Hasbro's CEO and her petition.

"Please, sign this petition, help me in creating gender equality," She writes, "and help the children of today become what they're destined to be tomorrow."

The petition has 1,325 supporters to date.

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quicklist:5title: From Jailbirds to Long Lost Friendstext:Kwame Kilpatrick, the corrupt former mayor of Detroit, who is currently on trial for new corruption charges, embraced his old friend from jail, "Tony," on the street outside of federal court. The former mayor greeted his long lost friend with a handshake and a hug as it has been a lot time since they first met—in jail at the Robert Cotton Correctional Facility.

The two men became buddies at the Jackson, Mich. prison. The public embrace reminded the men of old times where they worked out together, chatted during the day and dined while they were locked up.

Kilpatrick supposedly really liked the prison's chicken but Tony wasn't a fan.

"I'd been in prison 14 years by the time he got there. I'd had enough of the chicken," Tony said.

"Tony," who declined to give his last name said that Kilpatrick was his "main man" and their reunion on the streets of Detroit showed nothing less.

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