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A Florida State beat writer for the Tallahassee Democrat has resigned after she was found to have plagiarized from a freelancer's story last week. Natalie Pierre and the Democrat announced the resignation today, and both did so in ways that left some questions unanswered.

The Democrat published a very short and dry article about what happened.

Earlier this week, it came to our attention that a story in the Tallahassee Democrat and on Tallahassee.com by Florida State sports reporter Natalie Pierre appeared similar to a story written by freelance writer Tim Linafelt.

After investigating further, we concluded that it was too similar to be pure coincidence, that pieces at least of the story were plagiarized. Pierre resigned and no longer will report on behalf of our news organization.

Pierre gave her own statement on her website. In it, she profusely apologizes but also avoids specifics about the story in question.

After more than three years covering Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat I resigned from my role on Wednesday, Oct. 1, after I was informed that words that were not my own were published in the Democrat and on Tallahassee.com with my byline. While I did not intentionally plagiarize another journalist's work, I take full responsibility for some of freelance writer Tim Linafelt's words appearing in my story last week.

The plagiarism appears to have happened in a feature about defensive tackle Eddie Goldman. Linafelt wrote a story about Goldman for the Miami Herald that was published online Sept. 23. Pierre wrote a feature about Goldman that was published online the next day. Both stories have similar feels, occasionally making the same points at about the same time. Here are a few passages that probably were flagged as being too similar.

From Linafelt:

With the score tied at 17 and 1:40 remaining on the clock, Clemson was driving deep in FSU territory for a game-clinching score when Goldman descended on running back C.J. Davidson, felt his hand on the ball and yanked it loose.

Excerpt from:
Florida State Beat Writer Resigns After Plagiarism Charges

Former congressman Travis Childers, the Democratic Senate nominee in Mississippi, on Thursday signed an anti-amnesty pledge a conservative organization is pushing, a move that could endear him to disgruntled supporters of former tea party candidate Chris McDaniel, the runner-up to Sen. Thad Cochran in the GOP primary.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Childers said he signed theFederation for American Immigration Reform's pledgein part because he worries about Mississippi's high unemployment rate, which he thinks would be exacerbated by allowing undocumented immigrants to work in the U.S.

"I don't think you need to be rewarding people who break the law," said Childers, conservative Democrat.

Mississippi's unemployment rate was 7.9 percent in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only Georgia's was higher.

Childers's decision carries with it political implications in a race that has fallen off the national radar since Cochran won the primary. It could help Childers win over some supporters of McDaniel, who has yet to concede to Cochran. Still, the longtime senator is widely expected to win reelection comfortably.

FAIR says 29 Senate candidates and 82 House candidates have signed the pledge, including Childers and McDaniel but not Cochran. A tally on the group's Web site indicates Childers is the only Democrat to sign it.

The pledge asks respondents whether they support or oppose legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants to work legally in the U.S., increase the number of legal immigrants and increase the number of guest workers admitted to the U.S. annually. Childers said he opposes all three.

Asked whether he was making a play for McDaniel supporters, Childers responded,"This is not an issue targeted to a select group. This is an issue that Mississippians are interested in."

Breitbart News first reported that Childers signed the pledge.

Childers said he opposes the comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed the Senate last year. Cochran voted against the bill, which contained a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Excerpt from:
Democrat Childers agrees to anti-amnesty pledge that Chris McDaniel signed

NASHVILLE -- Democrat Lenda Sherrell's first TV ad in Tennessee's 4th Congressional District race never mentions her opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, but much of it appears directed at him.

The 30-second spot, which the 4th Congressional District candidate's campaign says starts today, also never mentions she's a Democrat. Instead it talks about honesty, trust, timeless values and more.

Noting she grew up in a small community, Sherrell says in the ad that "we were taught the values of honesty, loyalty and looking out for each other."

She adds: "We learned that actions speak louder than words."

Sherrell goes on to say "we didn't think of each other as Republicans or Democrats, just neighbors. We've lost that sense of community, and we need to get it back. As an accountant, wife and grandmother, I know a lot about the importance of trust."

Sherell ends on the trust note as well, saying "we may not agree on every issue, but I'll always be worthy of your trust."

DesJarlais barely scraped through his GOP primary in August with a 38-vote victory in a hard-fought race. During the campaign, his Republican challenger, Jim Tracy, hit the congressman on documents from DesJarlais' 2001 divorce which were released after the lawmaker's 2012 race.

They show the self-styled pro-life South Pittsburg physician had conducted affairs with at least two patients, pressured one of them to get an abortion and went along with his former wife's decision on two abortions.

DesJarlais says that's all in the past and has happily remarried.

about Andy Sher...

Read more:
4th District race candidate Sherrell releases first TV ad; DeJarlais, Democrat not mentioned

N.C. Republican says rival "kept quiet" on ISIS
John King, Julie Pace and Ron Fournier on a new Thom Tillis attack ad against North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan.

By: CNN

See the original post here:
N.C. Republican says rival "kept quiet" on ISIS - Video

America #39;s Forum | Rep. Peter King (R-NY): Republican Congressman from New York | PT 1
talks about the Secret Service breach hearing coming up on Capitol Hill as well as the strategy against ISIS in the wake of reports that ISIS continues its advance near the Syrian-Turkish border.

By: NewsmaxTV

Read the rest here:
America's Forum | Rep. Peter King (R-NY): Republican Congressman from New York | PT 1 - Video