The arrest of John Zarcone, an attorney and the scion of one of Putnam County's best-known political families, on charges of cocaine possession and threatening to kill his wife has shocked the many people who know him from public life.

The aggressive, tough-talking lawyer who shaped development in his town as leader of its Planning Board was arrested Sunday night by Putnam County sheriff's deputies.

Zarcone, 45, was accused of having cocaine and hydrocodone, a narcotic painkiller contained in prescription drugs such as Vicodin, as well as calling and verbally abusing his wife before threatening to kill her.

Zarcone released a brief written statement shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday, sent via fax from his law office. It said that he had turned himself in to police and had "now placed myself in a rehabilitation facility."

"I am fortunate to have the support of my loving wife and children in this difficult time," he said. "I look forward to overcoming this problem and resuming a normal life."

His mother, Marie Zarcone, also an influential figure in Republican Party circles, denied yesterday that her son had drugs on him at the time of his arrest. She also said he had checked himself into a treatment program. She refused to give further details.

"This is a domestic situation, and this is a first offense," she said. "He is seeking the medical help he needs, and he will be exonerated."

Law firm blogs build and strengthen relationships through the sharing of knowledge in specific practice areas. Law blogs also are used to announce such things as verdicts and firm success stories, legal articles and reviews, and changes in legislation. Marketers say this is the newest way to talk to target audiences, providing a friendlier venue for client communication. Consultants fear that numerous voices and opinions projected through a firm's Web site could create a perception of disorganization and chaos.

Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog.com believes that legal commentary and insight is critical to every law firm's success.

"Law firms should no longer worry about being taken seriously when blogging," he writes. "Americans are accepting blogs as part of the fabric of our society."

O'Keefe's statement stems from concerns that important issues are being treated carelessly when discussed in a casual forum such as Web logs. To that end, advisers suggest that law firms continue producing newsletters, e-alerts and annual reports, and to treat blogs as an expansion of Web site marketing. When managed properly and written correctly, legal blogs can project author articulation, industry intelligence, and technical sophistication.

Too much of a good thing causes problems though, as in the case of a New Jersey law firm, which nearly lost its insurance coverage due to blog material. The carrier told members of the firm that they could not cover the firm's Web site if blogging continued, viewing the ongoing conversations as a liability since content could be perceived as legal advice.

With all of the necessary disclaimers in place, a legal blog can help a lawyer build professional credibility and expertise if reliable, quality information is posted. The outcome is the achievement of client loyalty, a return on an investment of time. As one critic argued, Web blogs are easy and inexpensive to start, but extremely difficult and time consuming to maintain. The jury is still out on a firm's financial gain after launching practice blogs, but when compared to the publication of glossy brochures and firm magazines, one thing is certain: Talk is cheap.

http://www.wvrecord.com/news/193099-your-legal-writes-law-firm-blogs-post-mixed-results

Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks will not speak to the media in violation of a court order, Hicks' lawyer said Wednesday. Despite statements by Australian Attorney-General Philip Ruddock that Australia cannot enforce the gag order once Hicks returns to the country, Hicks' lawyer told Australia's ABC News that Hicks is not interested in speaking to the media. According to his lawyer, Hicks "is focused on getting home...to be close to his family."

Hicks submitted an application Monday to be transferred to a prison near his home in South Australia to serve the remainder of his nine-month sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of supporting terrorism last week. The Australian government is awaiting formal documentation from US authorities to move Hicks from the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. Once this information is received, the Australian federal government can approach the state government in South Australia to move the process forward, including assessing security requirements and a potential control order.

Monica M. Goodling, on leave from her post as special counsel to the US Attorney General, told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that she will not speak to the committee about her role in last year's firing of eight US attorneys. Committee members said that a voluntary interview would forgo the need to subpoena Goodling, but Goodling's lawyer stated that even if she was subpoenaed before the committee, she would claim protection under the Fifth Amendment. Some House representatives doubt her ability to do so, stating that "her claims do not constitute a valid basis for invoking the privilege against self-incrimination." Goodling has said previously that she will refuse to testify before Congressional committees, indicating that she would plead the Fifth Amendment if called to speak.

Senate Democrats have rejected attempts by the White House to advance the date that US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is scheduled to testify on the firings. Gonzales defended his role in the firings on Friday, admitting that there has been some confusion, but saying that his involvement in the matter was limited to signing off on recommendations made by his former chief of staff Kyle Sampson. Sampson, who resigned last month, told the Senate Judiciary Committee last week that the prosecutors were fired for political reasons rather than for poor performance as the Justice Department has claimed. Sampson also said Gonzales did more than merely follow his recommendations, and that Gonzales and former White House counsel Harriet Miers were deeply involved in the firings.

Several Chinese consumers have decided to file a collective lawsuit against HP China because of the frequent failures of the company's LaserJet 3330 printer.

According to chinese media, beginning in 2004, more and more consumers have reported about the quality problems and design defects of HP's LaserJet 3330 printer, but HP has never given a definite answer on how it plans to solve the problems. As most of the users of this type of printer are companies, they don't worry much about the failure, but some individual consumers can't stand the frequent issues any more and they have decided to sue HP China. Local media have neither reported in which court the plaintiffs plan to file their case nor the exact amount of damages they are seeking.

A representative from HP China says that HP China has asked consumers to dial their free telephone hotline to report and solve the problem, but they don't say if there is any design problem with the printer. HP China also also has no plans now to recall the product.

This particular printer was made in 2003 and its production was stopped in 2004. In response to reports of the printer's scanning problem at that time, HP prolonged the maintenance period for one more year and in 2005 it offered a special exchange policy for this product.

A man accused of driving drunk and fatally injuring a Gainesville Police lieutenant in the aftermath of Tuesday morning's national championship celebration could be prosecuted under a law passed following the death of another GPD officer in 2001.

Attorneys with the State Attorney's Office are reviewing whether Austin J. Wright, accused of DUI manslaughter in connection with Gainesville Police Lt. Corey Dahlem's death, could be prosecuted under a law known as the Scott Baird Act.

Gainesville Police Officer Scott Baird, 23, died in 2001 after he was struck by a vehicle while trying to remove a batting cage that had been dragged from a field at Gainesville High School onto NW 16th Terrace. Baird had been with the department two years when he was killed.

The year following Baird's death, Florida legislators passed an act that makes manslaughter of a law enforcement officer punishable by a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison rather than 15 years.

Prosecutors plan to review crash investigation reports and other records before determining if Wright will be tried under the Scott Baird Act, said State Attorney's Office spokesman Spencer Mann.

Wright, listed by troopers as an Atlantic Beach resident, was being held at the Alachua County jail late Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, Wright had made his first court appearance, at which a $500,000 bond was set for his release, said Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Mike Burroughs.

Charges originally filed against Wright after the crash were driving under the influence with serious bodily injury to another and failure to stop or remain at an accident involving injury, Burroughs said. But, after Dahlem's death Wednesday afternoon, the charge was upgraded to DUI manslaughter aggravated by leaving the scene of a traffic crash involving death. Wright also was cited for careless driving and violation of a traffic control device.

Wright's prior criminal history and driving record show he had received tickets for speeding and was charged with minor drug-related charges.

Misdemeanor charges against Wright out of Highlands County for marijuana possession, possession of narcotics equipment and possession of alcohol by a person under 21 were dismissed, according to records from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He also had been cited for speeding in Hernando and Duval counties last year, a report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles showed.

Wright appeared to have a bruise on his cheek in a jail mug shot taken after his arrest. Police spokesman Lt. Keith Kameg said officers on the scene when Wright was stopped and later arrested said the bruise was present when he was taken into custody.

The name of an attorney representing Wright was not immediately available Wednesday.

He later threatened to force an early presidential election if the president does not rescind the order dissolving parliament.

About 2,000 supporters of the Ukrainian prime minister streamed into the Ukrainian capital Tuesday to protest the president's order to dissolve parliament and call early elections.

Yanukovich's supporters expanded a tent camp outside the parliament while the president's supporters announced plans to setup a stage in Independence Square.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed the decree Monday and called a parliamentary election to take place on May 27.

The decree went into effect when it was published in the country's official gazette, though Yanukovich had urged the president to hold back from publishing the decree amid fears of deepening the country's ongoing political strife.

Lawmakers from Yanukovich's parliamentary coalition have appealed for a ruling by the constitutional court on the legitimacy of the president's order, the Interfax news agency reported.

The president and the prime minister were to hold discussions on the crisis on Tuesday afternoon.