Renovations will make local Psychiatric Center more child friendly

Renovations to the Hutchings Psychiatric Center near Syracuse University will provide more room for children and teenagers. The $12 million expansion, scheduled to open in May, will help the center cut down on restraint and seclusion.  The unit has 30 beds for children and teenagers.  The unit increased after Four Winds, a private Syracuse psychiatric hospital for youths closed, in 2004. The renovated building will have wider halls, bigger rooms and classrooms. These renovations will eliminate many of the current supervision problems, according to a Post-Standard article, and will be a more therapeutic environment for the children. 

McCain has challenger for Senate seat

Former Representative J.D. Hayworth has announced his candidacy for the Arizona primary in August.  He will be running against Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.  Hayworth is casting himself as a conservative who is willing to fight against the Washington establishment according to a New York Times article.  McCain has moved to the right on some issues, and Hayworth hopes this will help him to earn the conservative vote.

Hayworth has begun a three day campaign tour of the state and he is scheduled to appear with Arizona Senator Jon Kyl on Friday. Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin plan on stopping in Arizona to show their support of McCain in the next month.

American wins bronze in men's downhill

The men's Olympic downhill events began Monday after several days of weather delays.  Didier Defago of Switzerland won the gold medal.  His win was considered a surprise since his favored teammates, Didier Cuche and Carlo Janke, came in sixth and eleventh.  American skier, Bode Miller won the bronze medal. Nine-hundreths of a second separated Miller from the gold according to a New York Times article.  By the time Miller raced, the weather conditions made the visibility difficult which may have accounted for his slower time.  This bronze medal is Miller's first Olympic medal since the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and it has made him the first American to win three Olympic medals in alpine skiing.