New York Senate rejects gay marriage bill

The bill to legalize gay marriage fell eight votes short Wednesday afternoon in the New York State Senate. The decision comes after months of debate and delays among lawmakers.

32 votes were needed to pass the bill. Democratic Senator Liz Krueger said that Republican votes were needed because some of the chamber’s 32 Democrats opposed the bill, according to The Associated Press.

After the decision, Governor David Paterson said that he had at least wanted a floor debate and vote.

This rejection follows a referendum in Maine in November that stopped the gay marriage law before it became effective.

The New York Senate also passed a measure on Wednesday to close a $2.8 billion budget gap.

My Take: This is my top story because I believe it is of high interest to all readers. Also, it's an update on earlier news that the Senate was going to vote on the gay marriage bill today and that they passed a measure to close a budget gap earlier today. 

Peace Activists Protest in Syracuse

Peace activists stood in front of the federal building in Syracuse Wednesday afternoon, holding signs and protesting President Obama’s decision to send 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. The event began at noon and was sponsored by the Syracuse Peace Council, who planned the event over a week ago, according to Syracuse.com.

“We can not win a war by bombing people, by destroying homes, destroying infrastructure. What we have to do is rebuild the country that we’ve destroyed….not escalate the troops,” Jerry Lotierzo, co-chair of Peace Action of CNY, said.

About 30 protesters stood quietly, chatting and singing among themselves. They held up signs including “bring our troops home now,” “health not war” and “yes we can…US out of Afghanistan.” After a brief speech, the crowd broke up, according to Syracuse.com.

My Take: I picked this story because it's a local response to President Obama's speech yesterday about his plan for Afghanistan. I thought it was interesting that the Syracuse Peace Council organized the event over a week ago, anticipating what the President would say. 

Model's Death Ignites International Discussion

CNN.com is reporting that questions are being raised about plastic surgery consequences after the death of a former Miss Argentina last Wednesday.

Solange Magnano, 37, went to beauty clinic in Buenos Aires for a buttock-enhancement surgery. She is reported to have died from a pulmonary embolism, meaning blood was unable to flow to her lungs.

Magnano was transferred to a hospital after the typically low-risk procedure. It is still unknown whether her death was a result of the plastic surgery.

My Take: I chose this story from CNN because of the international attention it is receiving and the conversation that it is sparking about the risks of plastic surgery. It's a tragic event that could have resulted from a seemingly low-risk procedure, so I'm curious as to whether or not the death will impact the number of plastic surgeries worldwide.