Ritonio edges DeSalle in new poll

LAMBERTH, Kalnier--First-term Kalnier Gov. Karen DeSalle (N) finds herself in an unfavorable position going into the 2014 elections.

DeSalle is up for re-election in 2014, and a recent poll published Friday by the University of Kalnier  (UK) shows the freshman governor trailing Conservative businessman Tony Ritonio slightly, with DeSalle receiving 34% to Ritonio's 35%.

The poll found 30% of respondents were undecided.

In a head-to-head match up, both candidates received 50%.

The poll can't be good news for DeSalle, who has seen a steady drop in approval ratings since taking office in 2011.

Despite Kalnier's decisive liberal bent, Conservatives have enjoyed some success in recent years, most notably with the election of Samuel Tracey and Shannon McCann to the Federal Senate.

The off-year election also gives Conservatives an advantage, as the minority party typically is more successful in non-presidential year elections, when voter turn-out is lower.

Additionally, the poll confirms Ritonio is a credible candidate. He is relatively well-known throughout the state, after a losing Senate bid in 2008, when he fell to Nationalist Eli Dundree.

Ritonio declined to run again in 2010, when Conservatives fared better. Both Tracey and McCann were elected that year, although incumbent Gov. Joe Gramma (C) was defeated by DeSalle in a modest 53%-46% finish.

In 2012, Ritonio again declined to run for the state's only Senate seat up for grabs. His decision to stand down allowed Conservative tax attorney Steve Mickelson to run unopposed for the CNS nomination.

Mickelson lost in the general election to the far-left and polarizing incumbent Paul LeBouse. However, the race was very close, with LeBouse inching by with 51% of the vote to Mickelson's 49%.

Since his failed Senate campaign in 2008, Ritonio, who became a self-made millionaire after founding his own franchise of pizza restaurants, has stayed in the shadows but has remained influential in the Kalnier Conservative Party.

Ritonio lost by a 57%-43% margin in 2008, and Nationalists largely brushed him off after his defeat.

But 2008 was a strong NAT year, and 2014 will be more in the CNS' favor.

Furthermore, Ritonio has a lengthy business resume, which lends itself to a managerial position such as the governorship more so than a legislative position. And the 50-year-old businessman is more experienced than he was six years ago.

All of those factors, combined with his populist views and his working-class roots, having grown up in inner-city Lamberth, make him a credible threat to Karen DeSalle's re-election hopes.

Ritonio is not officially running for governor just yet, though he did tell the Lamberth Regent in May he is "seriously considering" a run for the state's highest job.

The only other Conservative that is considering running is Hulton Corp. founder and CEO Bill Broadbent, who announced last week he is also considering mounting a challenge to DeSalle.

DeSalle has done some fundraising, and currently has a modest $1.1 million campaign war chest.

She has also begun to reach out to liberal donors and activists, and has been talking with Gov. Christine Gabler (N-Marchenay), who chairs the Governors Board, and East Deschire Gov. Lynn DeMont, who heads the Nationalist Governors Association (NATGA), which is the Nationalist Party organization charged with raising money for NAT governors.

DeSalle's campaign had no comment on the UK poll. A spokesman for Ritonio also had no comment.

The Conservative Governors Association (CGA), the CNS counterpart to NATGA, did tell the Regent in an email that the poll is "encouraging news" for Conservatives.

"Kalnier is a crucial state for the Conservative Party, as we look to rebuild and re-gain governor's seats in the coming elections," a spokesman said via email.

Crown Police: Carnival workers sold cocaine, ecstasy

BRIMSDEN, Veroche--A traveling carnival has had to close down after more than half its crew was arrested during a raid by federal police Friday.

Federal agents descended on the Country Faire Carnival Friday morning in the small town of Brimsden in northeast Veroche, where it was set to hold a three-day event.

Crown Police raided the carnival after a months-long investigation into a multi-state drug-selling operation.

Authorities say they arrested 22 people--all carnival workers--in connection with the drug growing and selling operation, which the suspects allegedly operated out of camping and semi-truck trailers.

Among those arrested were the manager and assistant manager of the carnival, which is owned by the Wilkonshire-based Jolly-Lasso Entertainment Company.

Police say the carnival employees were growing marijuana in trailers, and selling it at carnival events across the country.

They also were transporting and selling cocaine and ecstasy, according to police.

Customers were often referred to various booths at the carnival, and used code words to indicate they were interested in purchasing, officials say.

Agents had been monitoring the carnival workers for more than six months, and have video and audio recordings of drug sales, according to Agent Sean Smith with the CP.

"This was a very thorough investigation that we had been working on for some time, and we believe we have enough evidence now to shut down this drug operation and get these drugs off the streets," Smith said.

Authorities are most concerned children may have been exposed to the illegal drugs.

"What makes this worse is that it involves children. Kids love the carnival. And parents take their kids to the carnival hoping to have a fun, safe experience. And we have reason to believe that children have been exposed, and possibly have even been sold illegal drugs at carnival events," said Smith.

Police swooped in on the carnival early Friday morning, before it had opened for the day, effectively shutting it down before it began.

Marijuana and other drugs were seized from carnival property, though investigators would not disclose the quantity.

Jolly-Lasso has brought in a separate crew to disassemble the carnival rides.

The company it is conducting its own investigation into the matter, and employees that were not arrested but have been affected by the closure of the carnival will be reassigned to other events.

"The allegations against several of our employees are very troubling and disconcerting. Jolly-Lasso prides itself on providing a fun, family-friendly environment, and we will not tolerate any employee breaking the law, endangering our customers or the general public. We take this matter very seriously and ask for patience as we carry out our own internal investigation into this matter," a statement from the company read.

Warner-Patterson will retire in 2014

MAVOCKE--The oldest and longest-serving senator in the Federal Senate chamber will retire in 2014 rather than seek re-election.

John Warner-Patterson, a Nationalist from Wilkonshire, announced Monday that he will step down after serving more than 42 years in the Senate.

At 87, Warner-Patterson is the oldest current member of the Senate. He was first elected in 1962 at the age of 37, representing POG until the late 2000's, when he was elected to represent Wilkonshire.

In a press conference Monday morning, Warner-Patterson said he has "enjoyed the ride" of his roller coaster-like career.

"I've enjoyed the good times and the bad, the times of wealth and peace in this country and the times of downturn and conflict. I've enjoyed the battles in the Senate I've fought and the many times bipartisanship has won over party interests," said the senator.

"It has been a joy and a privilege to serve. I thank the people of POG and Wilkonshire for sending me back time and again to represent them."

After serving two terms, Warner-Patterson quit his Senate seat in 1974 to work as Secretary of Veterans Affairs and later chair InterLink, the agency that oversees Grassadellia's intelligence agencies.

He was re-elected to the Senate in 1982, and most recently was re-elected in a 2008 special election, winning with a modest 54% of the vote.

Warner-Patterson has long been seen as an affable person with an optimistic spirit. In recent years, he has received high marks from Nationalists and Conservatives alike.

His retirement leaves an open seat in a battleground state.

While Wilkonshire leans to the NAT, Conservatives have won in recent elections.

In other races, the NAT candidates won the election but just narrowly.

There's no indication from either party which candidates might run for the open seat, although party strategists on both sides say there is a healthy list of possible candidates.

Maas to challenge Byelle in Carova

LORENZI, Carova--Nationalists have their first major candidate to challenge incumbent Carova Governor Sam Byelle (C) in the 2014 midterm election.

Anna Madde-Maas (pronounced "Mod-day - Moss"), the current Mayor of Lorenzi, the state's second-largest city, is expected to challenge the first-term Byelle, who is up for re-election in 2014.

Sources close to Madde-Maas, who usually goes by just Anna Maas, say the mayor will announce a run by the end of the month.

Maas has been the mayor of Lorenzi since 2006, and is known for her progressive views.

Lorenzi is more liberal than the rest of the state, and Maas' liberal record could hurt her statewide with the more conservative voters outside the state's southwest corner.

However, despite its conservative bent, Carova has trended more blue in recent elections, and Nationalists, even staunch liberals like Federal Senator Karen Coriano and Attorney General Dan McGregor, have enjoyed success at the ballot box.

Supporters of Maas say the mayor has a strong record to run on, and will face a weakened incumbent in Byelle, who has seen his poll numbers dip considerably since taking office in 2011.

The fact that Maas is a woman may also play well with women voters, who may be enthused by her candidacy and the prospect of electing the state's first female governor.

It's unclear if any other NAT candidates will join the primary race. McGregor was said to be considering a run but has since decided to seek re-election to the attorney general's post, according to sources close to the situation.

Federal Senator Dan Sallovich was also mulling a bid, but will likely stay in the Senate, sources tell GNN.

Mega-church pastor: Islam 'breeds' violence

PARKINS, North Ceona--The senior pastor of one of the nation's largest Evangelical mega-churches is coming under fire for comments he made that some have called anti-Islam.

Rev. Ahmad Hassan, who pastors the 8,000-member-strong Church of the Saviour in suburban Parkins, said in an interview with Forefront magazine that Islam "breeds violence," and that political correctness is "hampering the fight" against Islamic terrorists.

"It breeds violence and contempt for non-Muslims, particularly Westerners, Christians, Jews, etc., and even for other Muslims of different sects. And it's not just a religion, it's a culture and way of life that preaches hatred and preaches overcoming or overtaking one's enemies at any cost, including death," Hassan said.

Hassan added that Western media and politicians have "caved" to political correctness when dealing with Islamic terrorists.

"The media doesn't hesitate to identify right-wing Christian groups that espouse violence and carry out violent attacks. They don't hesitate to criticize Christian leaders for discrimination and bigotry and wrongdoing. But when it comes to the Muslim faith, the media and our politicians are very timid. They don't want to offend, they don't want to seem culturally insensitive, they're very careful not to step on any toes. They're very slow to criticize and pronounce judgment. But with Christians, it's very different. This kind of timidity does not do our country any favors. It only allows terrorists and people with ill-will against the Western culture to thrive, because everyone in the media and the government is too afraid to stand up to them and call them out for their atrocities," said Hassan.

"When some right-wing, anti-government, anarchist, end-of-the-world militia group commits an act of violence, it's splashed all over the news, in all the newspapers and all over online. But when it comes to radical Muslims, the media is very cowardly about calling it like it is."

Hassan's comments were quickly condemned by pro-Muslim groups.

"This kind of hate-speech is typical from the conservative, far-right of the political spectrum, and it should be denounced for what it is: falsehoods," Mohammed Al-Suyair of Muslims United said in an interview with the GBC.

"Ahmad Hassan is a convert, he changed his religious views, something he's allowed to do. But he should not go around trashing the Muslim faith and calling it violent and anti-Western and anti-Christian. The vast majority of Muslims in this country, and every country, are law-abiding, peaceful people that do not hate others that are different from them. Ahmad Hassan should denounce his words and apologize to all Muslims," Al-Suyair said.

Hassan is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity.

Born into an affluent family in Saudi Arabia in 1969, the future Evangelical pastor lived there until emigrating to Italy at the age of 26. He then moved to Grassadellia in 1997.

At the age of 28, while a student at the prestigious Grigsby School of Technology at Mayton Stansbury University in Madagen, Hassan was befriended by a group of young Christians, and began attending weekly church services on campus. After nine months of prayer, he finally decided to officially convert to Christianity, despite being disowned by his family.

Hassan graduated from the Grigsby School of Technology, earning a Masters in Physics. While at Mayton Stansbury, he met his future-wife Nareha, who is also a former Muslim from Oman.

In 2003, the Hassans founded Church of the Saviour in the suburb of Rose Acre, northeast of Parkins. The church started with only 30 people, and met weekly in an elementary school cafeteria. But the congregation quickly grew to more than 900 people in just two years, and has been growing ever since.

Since their conversions, Ahmad and Nareha Hassan have become leading voices of the Grassadellian Evangelical community. They speak frequently around the country and across the globe at Evangelical events.

But his prominent standing in the conservative Christian community is another reason critics are displeased with Ahmad Hassan's recent anti-Islam comments.

"He's entitled to his beliefs, but as someone who is so prominent and has such a large standing in the Evangelical movement in this country, his voice resonates and carries weight. And when you say these sorts of ignorant, misguided statements, it really does no favors in smoothing over tensions between different religious groups," Tanya Arington, Director of the National Coalition for Diversity (NCD) told the Grassadellia City Times.

Hassan did point out in the interview that he does not hate Muslims.

"I don't hate Muslims. On the contrary, I love my fellow Muslims. I understand them a lot better than most Christians and most Christian leaders do. I know Muslims are good people but they are very often indoctrinated with hate from an early age. Hate for America, hate for Israel, hate for the West in general. It's not that they're inherently bad people, but they are taught this from an early age and that seed of hate that is planted in one's youth, it begins to fester and take hold in a person's heart, and eventually in a nation and a pan-national culture. And that's why we have people blowing up buildings today and wanting to harm other people. Because an uninformed, unfounded and immoral hatred is taking root in the Muslim world."

The Grassadellian Union of Evangelical Churches (GUEC), of which Hassan is a high-profile member, would not comment on the matter.

POG governor swims with dolphins for charity

KINGHAM, Province of Grassadellia--Governor Donna Almone took a dunk in the pool, but it was for a good cause.

The governor made a pledge with the state's K-6 school children, that if they raised more than $1 million in donations for the week-long I-Heart-the-Ocean environmental awareness campaign, she would swim with dolphins and "arm-wrestle a crab."

And Almone made good on that promise Friday.

POG K-6 students raised a whopping over $1.7 million for the campaign, more than $700,000 the target amount.

"I'm blown away by the generosity of our kids in POG. They raised more than $1.7 million dollars to help protect our oceans and the animals in the oceans. That tells me that we have some very sharing, caring, and generous young people that care about the environment and care about protecting nature," Almone said in a pre-pool interview.

The governor then spoke directly to school children during a live state-wide telecast. She thanked them for their generous donations.

"I want to thank all you children, each and every one of you, for giving your pennies and dimes and nickels and quarters, and dollars to this project. And I want to thank your teachers and your moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas and any other family members or grown ups in your lives that helped you too. Because of your generosity and the money you gave, we will be able to help protect the ocean and its animals for the future, so that when you grow up someday, your children will be able to enjoy the ocean and all the wonderful animals that depend upon it too," said Almone.

Minutes later, donning a wet suit, the governor slipped into a pool with three adolescent dolphins, named Nellie, Periwinkle, and Junior.

"Aren't these little guys cute?" she laughed. "They're so friendly."

Hundreds of elementary students were on-hand to watch in person, and children that attended the event got to pet dolphins and other wildlife as well.

The Royal Quay Aquarium and aquariums across the province are also offering discount tickets to primary schools as part of the promotion.

Almone called the event "the most fun I've had in years," and joked that she was relieved "no one had to see me in my bathing suit."

The governor's office says it hopes to do a similar promotion about forest health and protecting animals that live in the forests of the province.

"The ocean is a big part of the ecosystem, but we realize not every child in POG lives close to the coast. Every part of the ecosystem is important, and we hope to highlight the importance of the forests and grasslands as well in the future, to help make it more relevant for children from all parts of the province," said Jalie Kohana, a spokeswoman for the governor.

During the event, the governor also gave awards to several teachers from across the province. The fundraising event was optional, and about 60% of POG's elementary schools, public and private, participated.