U.S. 66 questions and answers about the government shutdown

0 0
Read Time:14 Minute, 33 Second
WASHINGTON — It's been 17 years since the federal government last faced a partial shutdown because Congress and the president couldn't agree on a spending bill. A lot has changed in that time, leaving federal employees, citizens and even government decision-makers confused about what a shutdown would mean.
 
Every shutdown is different. The politics that cause them are different. Because of technology and structural overhauls, the way the government functions has changed since 1996. Much of what will happen is unknown.
 
Here's what we do know about Tuesday's looming shutdown:
 
THE BASICS
 
1. What causes a shutdown? Under the Constitution, Congress must pass laws to spend money. If Congress can't agree on a spending bill — or if, in the case of the Clinton-era shutdowns, the president vetoes it — the government does not have the legal authority to spend money.
 
2. What's a continuing resolution? Congress used to spend money by passing a budget first, then 12 separate appropriations bills. That process has broken down, and Congress uses a stopgap continuing resolution, or CR, that maintains spending at current levels for all or part of the year.
 
3. Why can't Congress agree? The Republican-controlled House has passed a spending bill that maintains spending levels but does not provide funding to implement the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The Democratic Senate insists that the program be fully funded and that Congress pass what they call a "clean" CR.
 
4. What is a "clean" CR? A continuing resolution without policy changes.
 
5. Why is this happening now? The government runs on a fiscal year from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. Shutdowns can happen at other times of the year when Congress passes a partial-year spending bill.
 
6. Could government agencies ignore the shutdown? Under a federal law known as the Anti-Deficiency Act, it can be a felony to spend taxpayer money without an appropriation from Congress.
 
7. When would a shutdown begin? When the fiscal year ends at midnight Monday. Most federal workers would report to work Tuesday, but unless they're deemed "essential," they would work no more than four hours on shutdown-related activities before being furloughed.
 
8. When would the shutdown end? Immediately after the president signs a spending bill. As a practical matter, it could be noon the following day before most government offices that were shut down would reopen their doors.
 
9. How many times has the government shut down in the past? Since 1977, there have been 17 shutdowns, according to the Congressional Research Service.
 
10. How long do shutdowns usually last? Most last no more than three days. Some last less than a day.
 
11. When was the longest shutdown in history? The longest was also the most recent: from Dec. 16, 1995, through Jan. 5, 1996. That's 21 days.
 
12. Would this shutdown be different from those in the 1990s? Yes. When the 1995 shutdown started, Congress had already passed three of 13 appropriations bills. (They funded military construction, agriculture, and energy and water projects.) Also, more government services are automated.
 
THE DEBT LIMIT
 
13. What's the difference between a shutdown and a debt crisis? In a shutdown, the government lacks the legal authority to spend money on non-essential services. In a debt crisis, the government is mandated to spend money — but doesn't have the legal authority to borrow the money to spend it.
 
14. Are the two related? Only by timing, which is somewhat coincidental.
 
15. When will the government run out of borrowing authority? Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew says it could come as soon as Oct. 17.
 
16. Has the United States ever defaulted on its debt before? No.
 
17. If the nation hits the debt limit, will government shut down? That's a big unknown question. The Treasury Department has said the most likely scenario is that it would delay payments, paying only those bills it can afford, using daily tax revenue.
 
GOVERNMENT SERVICES
 
18. Will I still get my mail? Yes. The U.S. Postal Service functions as an independent business unit.
 
19. Can I get a passport? Maybe, but hurry. The Department of State says it has some funds outside the annual congressional appropriation. "Consular operations domestically and overseas will remain 100% operational as long as there are sufficient fees to support operations," the department says.
 
20. Can I visit national parks? No. The National Park Service says day visitors will be told to leave immediately, and entrances will be closed.
 
21. What about campers already in the parks? They will be given two days to leave.
 
22. Will Washington museums be open? The Smithsonian, the National Zoo and the Holocaust Museum would all be closed. Private museums, such as the Newseum, the Spy Museum and Mount Vernon, would remain open. Rule of thumb: If it's usually free, it's probably closed.
 
23. What about the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts? The Kennedy Center does receive an annual appropriation from Congress, but also runs on ticket revenue and endowment funds. The center expects to stay open through a shutdown.
 
24. What about the National Archives?All archives and most presidential libraries will be closed, unless they're operated by a private foundation — as all pre-Herbert Hoover presidential museums are. The Federal Records Center Program, which supports other agencies, would continue to operate because it uses a revolving fund.
 
25. Will the District of Columbia shut down? The district does not have complete autonomy and relies on an appropriation from Congress to operate. So during the shutdowns in the 1990s, trash went uncollected, and many city departments closed. In a departure from past shutdowns, Mayor Vincent Gray has informed the Office of Management and Budget that he has deemed all city employees "essential." The district's own attorney general has declared the mayor's plan illegal.
 
26. Will the Patent and Trademark Office be open? Yes. The office can continue to operate off user fees and other funds for at least four weeks before having to shut down.
 
27. Would food safety inspections continue? Mostly. The Food Safety and Inspection Service would continue all safety-related activities. The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration would continue inspections to the extent they're paid by user fees, "but inability to investigate alleged violations could hamper corrective action in the long term and could have an immediate impact on members of industry." The Food and Drug Administration would limit its activities but continue to monitor recalls and conduct investigations.
 
28. Will the government still release economic data? Probably. The weekly unemployment claims number would still come out, and the September jobs report, due out Friday, probably will, too. The Department of Commerce reasons that some of its data is so economically sensitive that delaying it risks that it will be leaked.
 
29. Would the government continue to enforce wage and hour laws? The laws will still be in effect, but the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division would suspend operations.
 
30. Will disaster response be affected? No. However, all "non-disaster" grants — such as state and local preparedness programs — would be postponed, the Department of Homeland Security says.
 
31. Will e-Verify be affected? Yes. The government system to allow companies to voluntarily check the legal work status of its employees would be shut down.
 
STORY: Blame game for impending shutdown
 
GOVERNMENT BENEFITS
 
32. Would a shutdown put the brakes on implementing the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare?" No. The state-run exchanges for the uninsured would open as scheduled Tuesday. "The marketplaces will be open on Tuesday, no matter what, even if there is a government shutdown," President Obama said Friday.
 
33. Why not? Like Social Security or Medicaid, Obamacare is a permanent entitlement that isn't subject to annual funding by Congress. "Many of the core parts of the health care law are funded through mandatory appropriations and wouldn't be affected," Gary Cohen, the Health and Human Services Department official overseeing the health care rollout, said last week.
 
34. Would seniors continue to get Social Security benefits? Yes. Social Security is a mandatory spending program, and the people who send those checks would continue to work under a legal doctrine called "necessary implication."
 
35. Can I apply for Social Security benefits, appeal a denial of benefits, change my address or sign up for direct deposit?Yes.
 
36. Can I get a new or replacement Social Security card, benefit verification statement or earnings record correction?No.
 
37. Would the government continue to pay unemployment benefits? Yes. The Employment and Training Administration "will continue to provide essential functions, as occurred during the shutdown of 1995," according to the Department of Labor contingency plan.
 
38. Will I be able to get food stamps? Yes. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is funded through the Recovery Act and from funds that don't expire for another year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.
 
39. What about WIC?No money would be available to pay the administrative costs of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. But because it's administered by states, there may be state funds available.
 
40. And the federal school lunch program? Schools are reimbursed for these costs on a monthly basis and are allowed to carry over funds from the previous fiscal year. The USDA expects most schools will be able to continue providing meals through October.
 
41. What will happen to veterans receiving compensation for service- or combat-related wounds and injuries? The Department of Veterans Affairs said if the shutdown continues into late October, it will run out of money for compensation and pension checks to more than 3.6 million veterans who rely on the money to support themselves.
 
42. Can I still get a federally backed loan? Maybe not. "Federal loans for rural communities, small business owners, families buying a home will be frozen," President Obama said Friday.
 
43. Does that mean I can't get an FHA mortgage? No. The Federal Housing Administration says it "will endorse new loans under current multi-year appropriation authority in order to support the health and stability of the U.S. mortgage market."
 
44. Does that mean I can't get a VA mortgage? No. The Department of Veterans Affairs says loans are funded via user fees and should continue. However, during the last shutdown, "loan Guaranty certificates of eligibility and certificates of reasonable value were delayed."
 
45. Will deceased veterans still be able to get a burial benefit? Yes. Burial benefits, headstones and death notices will still be available.
 
TAXES
 
46. Would the IRS continue to collect taxes? Yes. All payments would be processed. More than 12 million people have requested an extension on their 2012 taxes, which expires Oct. 15.
 
47. Will my refund be delayed? Possibly, especially if the taxpayer files a paper return.
 
48. What about taxpayer assistance? Walk-in assistance centers and telephone hotlines would be closed.
 
49. I'm being audited by the IRS. Would a shutdown affect me? Yes. The IRS will suspend all audit activities.
 
EMPLOYMENT
 
50. How many federal employees would be furloughed? The government has not given an official estimate.
 
51. Does anyone have a guess? J. David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government employees, said he expects the number will be 800,000 to 1 million, out of 2.1 million federal employees. That's consistent with a USA TODAY analysis of 2011 shutdown contingency plans, which found that 59% of non-defense government employees would continue to work.
 
52. Why do some federal employees continue to work during a shutdown? The law — or at least, the Justice Department's interpretation of it — contains exemptions for several classes of employees: The biggest exemption is for employees necessary to protect public health, safety or property. But property could include government data, ongoing research experiments or other intangibles. Political appointees are exempt because they cannot be placed on leave by law. Employees necessary for the president to carry out his constitutional responsibilities are exempt. Finally, employees whose salaries are paid from sources outside an annual spending bill can still get paid and report to work.
 
53. Who decides which employees work and which go home? Each agency is responsible for coming up with its own contingency plan, based on guidance from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management. Those plans are then sent to the White House for review.
 
54. Would the president be paid during a shutdown? Yes. The president's $400,000 salary is mandatory spending. If furloughs begin to affect the government's ability to process payroll, his paycheck could be delayed.
 
55. What about White House staff? Some high-ranking presidential appointees are exempt from the Annual and Sick Leave Act of 1951, which means they can essentially be made to work unpaid overtime. Also, any employee necessary for the president to carry out his constitutional duties would be exempt.
 
56. And the president's personal aides? The White House has 90 staffers who work in the residence. During a shutdown, 15 of them would stay on the job.
 
57. Would Congress continue to be paid during a shutdown? Yes. The 27th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1992, holds that "No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened." Intended to prevent Congress from voting itself a raise, it also protects members from a pay cut.
 
58. What about congressional staff? Like other federal employees, they would be deemed essential or non-essential. Essential staff would include those necessary to carry out constitutional responsibilities, such as the parliamentarians, or for protection of members, such as the sergeants-at-arms. Staff of the appropriations committees may also be needed to write the law that would end the shutdown.
 
59. Would active-duty military be furloughed? No. All active-duty military are essential and should report as scheduled Tuesday, the Department of Defense said Friday.
 
60. Will civilian defense workers be furloughed? About half of them, or about 400,000, will be sent home, according to the Defense Department's contingency plan.
 
61. Would active-duty military be paid during a shutdown? If a shutdown lasts longer than a week, the Pentagon might not be able to process its payroll in time for the Oct. 15 paychecks, Defense Department Comptroller Robert Hale said Friday. The House passed a separate bill early Sunday that would appropriate money for active-duty and reserve paychecks regardless of the shutdown — and also pay for support services to make sure they get paid. That bill passed the House 422-0, but still must go to the Senate.
 
62. Could federal employees simply volunteer their services? No. A 19th-century federal law forbids volunteers because the government doesn't want them filing claims for back pay after the shutdown is over, according to a legal analysis by Washington attorney Raymond Natter.
 
63. Would federal employees get paid retroactively, even if they didn't work? Maybe. Congress granted retroactive pay to furloughed workers after the shutdowns of the mid-1990s, but that wouldn't necessarily happen again. "I believe this time is going to be much different. This is a much different Congress than the 1995 Congress," said Cox, federal employee union president. "I'm not sure that they'd even want to go back and pay the people who worked."
 
THE LONG TERM
 
64. How much money would a shutdown save taxpayers? Most likely, it wouldn't. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says shutdowns cost money in terms of contingency planning, lost user fees and back pay. A government estimate after the shutdown in 1995-96 estimated its cost at $1.4 billion.
 
65. What effect would a shutdown have on the economy? Economists say even a short shutdown — of three or four days — would begin to shave decimal points off economic growth. A sustained shutdown of three or four weeks "would do significant economic damage," economist Mark Zandi told USA TODAY.
 
66. What about the stock market? The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 3.7% during the 1995-96 government shutdown, according to S&P Capital IQ. Stocks quickly rebounded after the government got back to work, rising 10.5% the month after the shutdown ended.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

U.S. Disbelief turns to reality in Wis. bridge closure

0 0
Read Time:4 Minute, 40 Second
GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the dark of night, a truck driver heading across the Interstate 43 bridge across the Fox River felt something strange on the road underneath his rig.
 
So strange that he reached for his cellphone and dialed 911.
 
When the trucker reported that the pavement on the Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge seemed to be sagging Wednesday morning, the police dispatcher either could not understand what he said — or could not believe it.
 
"Sagging?" she asked.
 
The trucker repeated himself and urged the dispatcher to take action.
 
"I would suggest," he said, "that someone go out there and at least take a look at it."
 
It was 3:43 a.m.
 
After being dispatched to the bridge to investigate, a Green Bay, Wis., police officer reported about 10 minutes later that nothing appeared unusual. The officer told the dispatcher: "Bridge appears to be intact and not sagging. No apparent damage to bridge," records say.
 
It would be almost another hour before police officers realized that the 120-foot-tall bridge had, in fact, sagged and that the four-lane interstate highway should be shut down.
 
Police Lt. Jeff Brester said it appears the officer first on the scene of the bridge was mistaken in the initial assessment or the problem with the bridge worsened later. Noting that the Leo Frigo bridge typically carries 40,000 vehicles a day, Brester said other motorists surely would have taken notice of a situation as serious as sagging pavement.
 
"If it was as bad as people are saying at that time, I would think we would've gotten more calls," he said.
 
Soon, there were more calls.
 
At about 4:45 a.m., another truck driver, Richard Maufort, called 911 to report that conditions on the bridge were "not quite right."
 
Maufort, who delivers automobile parts to car dealers, recalled that something was amiss when he crossed over the bridge heading west about 4 a.m. On his return trip in the other direction, Maufort decided to alert the authorities to the sagging pavement.
 
The 57-year-old De Pere, Wis., resident later learned from radio reports that the situation was serious enough that police had closed the bridge.
 
"I'm glad nobody got hurt," he said. "I'm glad they found out what the problem was."
 
By 5:30 a.m., the bridge was closed to all traffic.
 
State highway officials soon determined that one of the piers supporting the bridge inexplicably sank into the ground, causing the 84-foot-wide structure to dip about 2 feet.
 
Built in 1980, the bridge carries traffic along Interstate 43 in Green Bay and represents one of city's most vital thoroughfares. Officials have indicated that it could be months or even a year before the bridge, named in honor of the former president of Frigo Cheese Corp., is back in service.
 
Engineers with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration are trying to determine what caused the problem and how it can be fixed.
 
Jason Lahm, a state bridge maintenance engineer, was getting ready for work when his phone rang at about 5 a.m. The caller from the state's traffic operations center in Milwaukee told Lahm there were reports that the Leo Frigo bridge was sagging.
 
Lahm, who has been with the department for 11 years, was the first state highway official in the Green Bay region alerted to the problem. Although skeptical that the bridge deck really had sunk, he rushed to the scene, arriving there about 30 minutes later.
 
Police had already closed the bridge, and Lahm could see for himself that the reports of sagging pavement were true. His first thoughts were of disbelief: "This can't happen."
 
But he called his supervisor and reported that the bridge would probably have to remain closed for a long time.
 
"I could determine that we had a significant issue as soon as I got to the site," Lahm said. "It was very obvious as soon as I saw it."
 
State highway officials say they have calculated that the pier sank into the ground sometime between 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, and 5 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25.
 
According to police records, two motorists drove around police squad cars and crossed over the bridge before officers sealed off the thoroughfare with barricades, detour signs and flares. The towering structure has been closed to traffic ever since.
 
Eyewitness Dale Ferron of Algoma, Wis., said he noticed the pavement problem en route to work about 3:45 a.m. Wednesday. The mail delivery contractor recalled being jostled in his car and then seeing a truck's headlights bouncing around behind him.
 
"It made my heart skip a beat," he said. "It was kind of like being on a roller coaster."
 
After arriving at work on Green Bay's west side, Ferron, 49, found himself troubled by thoughts that the bridge could be unstable and that other motorists could be in danger. So he grabbed a phone and called police.
 
Like so many other people, Ferron now is left wondering what caused the problem.
 
Or, as he put it, "Why all of a sudden now?"

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

Cops: Daughter, husband kill mom; dad shoots them

0 0
Read Time:2 Minute, 23 Second
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A two-decade family feud came to a violent end when a man shot dead the two home invaders that killed his wife and son, not knowing the assailants included his long-estranged daughter, authorities said Sunday.
 
Though the investigation of Friday's shootings continues, authorities said it appears Josephine and Jeffrey Ruckinger planned to murder her family at their rural central Pennsylvania home — but it remains unclear what exactly led to the deadly confrontation.
 
"They parked at the bottom of a long driveway, and walked up, heavily armed," said Cambria County District Attorney Kelly Callihan.
 
Josephine Ruckinger was armed with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun and her husband had a Derringer pistol and a .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun as they approached the Frew family home in Ashville, about 40 miles southwest of State College, according to investigators.
 
John Frew, his wife Roberta, and their son John Jr., 47, had just returned from dinner out, and were watching TV in the living room of the white mobile home when there was a knock at the door, authorities said.
 
Police say Roberta, 64, answered the door, and cried out something like "Oh my God, they have guns!" before her daughter shot her at point-blank range. John Jr. then may have attempted to arm himself with a gun, but Jeffrey Ruckinger shot him multiple times in the chest, killing him, police said.
 
The elder Frew, 67, grabbed a .22 revolver and came out from the bedroom to find the daughter he didn't initially recognize pointing the shotgun at him. Frew fired once, hitting her in the head, then turned and exchanged fire with Jeffrey Ruckinger, killing him. He then called police.
 
Josephine Ruckinger was still alive when police arrived, but later died at an area hospital. John Frew was not hurt.
 
Callihan said that the preliminary investigation suggests that the elder Frew and his family were victims "of a pre-planned murder" plot, and that he acted in self-defense. Police also found a can of gas and lighter fluid in the Ruckingers' car.
 
Ballistics and toxicology tests are pending, investigators said.
 
Authorities are still exploring possible motives, but say there may have been burglaries and robberies at the Frew residence in the past.
 
A relative, Virginia Cruse, said the daughter and mother did not get along, but that she had no idea what spawned Friday's tragedy. The daughter had "a hatred toward the family," she said.
 
When Josephine was about 20, she and a boyfriend trashed her parents' home and stole items including a pistol, then fled to Pittsburgh, Cruse said. After that, she said, "more or less, they disowned her."

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

Commercial supply ship reaches space station after delay

0 0
Read Time:2 Minute, 43 Second
MELBOURNE, Fla. — NASA may now call upon two private couriers to resupply the International Space Station, fulfilling a vision established years before the space shuttle's retirement.
 
Expedition 37 astronauts Monday morning planned to open the hatch on Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Cygnus spacecraft, which on Sunday became the second commercial cargo ship to visit the outpost, after SpaceX's Dragon last year.
 
Engineers in Orbital's Dulles, Va., control room cheered as Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano snared the unmanned Cygnus with the station's 58-foot robotic arm at 7 a.m., as the vehicles flew 261 miles above the Indian Ocean.
 
"It was really everything we would have wished for today," astronaut Cady Coleman radioed to the crew from Houston.
 
By 8:45 a.m., the Cygnus — Latin for "swan" — and its 1,300 pounds of cargo were firmly bolted to a station port.
 
The spacecraft is expected to remain attached for three weeks, ample time to unload the demonstration cargo of food, clothes and student science experiments and to pack the spacecraft with trash.
 
It will all burn up during a destructive reentry through the atmosphere.
 
But Orbital and NASA are already looking ahead to December, when the company is scheduled to launch the first of eight missions under a $1.9 billion resupply contract.
 
"They're good to go," said Alan Lindenmoyer, head of the NASA program that helped develop and fund the new commercial cargo systems. "They've got a demonstrated system that certainly can deliver."
 
The berthing came a week later than planned, after a navigation software glitch postponed an earlier rendezvous, but Sunday's approach was smooth and uneventful.
 
Appearing first as a bright white dot in the distance, the Cygnus gradually climbed beneath the station to reveal its cylindrical shape and twin solar array wings.
 
"I know the crew is going to be very happy when they get the hatch open and get a chance to see all the things that are in there," said Frank Culbertson, a former astronaut who heads Orbital's advanced programs group.
 
The mission caps a highly successful public private-partnership that saw NASA entrust key human spaceflight capabilities to the private sector, while paying its two partners nearly $700 million combined.
 
Also Sunday, SpaceX's upgraded Falcon 9 rocket appeared to complete a successful first launch, blasting off from California and placing a Canadian science satellite in orbit.
 
The taller, 224-foot rocket lifted off at noon Eastern from Vandenberg Air Force Base, propelled by Merlin 1D engines that provided 50 percent more thrust than the original Falcon 9.
 
Communication links were lost before deployment of the small Cassiope satellite, but the Canadian Space Agency confirmed that the spacecraft was in orbit and communicating with the ground.
 
NASA expects the Cygnus and Dragon to serve as the station's workhorse resupply ships in the years ahead.
 
"This is critical to the continuation of the station, and the continuation of U.S. leadership in space," Culbertson said.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

Partial service restored in Northeast rail corridor

0 0
Read Time:2 Minute, 10 Second
About 130,000 commuters in Connecticut will wake up Monday morning to marginally improved rail service to New York after officials wrestling over the weekend with a power outrage managed to restore what they hope will be about 50% of normal operations.
 
"There will be noticeable improvement in the frequency of trains," Aaron Donovan, a Metro-North spokesman, said about the commuter railway's New Haven line. The line feeds passengers from 38 stations in 23 towns to New York's Grand Central Station.
 
Metro-North is the nation's second busiest commuter rail line, after MTA's Long Island Rail Road, and officials were anticipating that those trains available would be jammed Monday. They encouraged commuters to avoid rush hour if possible.
 
Highways were packed with people driving to work last week after the power outage Wednesday slashed Metro- North commuter service to about a third of usual capacity. It was the worst breakdown in rail service since Superstorm Sandy last October.
 
Amtrak trains running between Boston and New York were delayed up 90 minutes because of the power problems. Amtrak officials said Sunday that the New York-to-Boston Acela Express will resume service Monday morning.
 
Meanwhile, regional Amtrak trains through that corridor — which have had to switch to diesel, a process that has caused delays of up to 90 minutes — will continue to operate that way and delays may continue, said Amtrak spokesman Craig Schultz.
 
Con Ed spokesman Allan Drury said the cause of the power failure to the rail line has not yet been determined. "Right now, the focus is on restoring power to the tracks," he said.
 
Crews set up a temporary power substation in Harrison, N.Y. to provide the additional voltage that will allow Metro-North to increase capacity for Monday, he said.
 
The stricken section of 8-mile track is between Harrison and Mount Vernon, N.Y. Only two electric trains can be accommodated at one time. The 50% service Monday will be provided by a mix of electric and diesel trains, Metro-North said.
 
Full power should be restored by Oct. 7 and full train service the day after, a week ahead of what Con Ed had planned, Drury said Sunday.
 
Metro-North will also be opening up more than 8,600 free park-and-ride spaces at locations where other rail lines or buses will be available for commuters. The latest train schedule is available at mta.info/mnr.
 
Contributing: The Associated Press

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

Why I Will Never Marry – Oprah Winfrey

0 0
Read Time:1 Minute, 51 Second

Talk show host, and one of the world’s most influential women, Oprah Winfrey has revealed why she will never, ever marry her longtime partner Stedman – despite friend, Tina Turner demanding she walk down the aisle.

Oprah and Tina have been friends for years, with Oprah attending the singer’s wedding back in July.

But the talk show queen says she has come to the conclusion that such a union is just not for her.

When asked if she would leave earth as a “never-married” woman, Oprah made her feelings very clear.

“Yes,” she told Access Hollywood. “Yeah, I think that’s my final answer.”

Tina exchanged vows with German music producer Erwin Bach at Lake Zurich, Switzerland. And the romantic affair made Oprah wonder if she and partner Stedman Graham should tie the knot.

“I think that it’s interesting that you would ask it because I thought about it again at Tina Turner’s wedding,” Oprah revealed.

“Because Tina was like, ‘Oprah, you need to do this. You need to do it.’ I was just thinking, ‘Well, OK, would things really be different?’ And no, I don’t think so.”

Oprah admits if she and Stedman had got married, they probably wouldn’t have lasted.

According to Oprah, her relationship with Stedman is so unusual it wouldn’t have fit within the confines of such a union.

“If you ever interviewed him, he would tell you that had we married, we would not be together today,” Oprah said of Stedman. “Because he’s a traditional man and this is a very untraditional relationship.”

Oprah goes on to explain that she couldn’t be a wife because the word holds responsibilities she doesn’t feel capable of handling.

“I think it’s acceptable as a relationship, but if I had the title ‘wife,’ I think there would be other expectations for what a wife is and what a wife does. First of all, you’ve got to come home sometimes,” Oprah laughed.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

U.S. Blame game for impending shutdown plays on

0 0
Read Time:4 Minute, 56 Second
WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans showed no signs Sunday of relenting on their efforts to dismantle President Obama's health care law on a stopgap funding bill, setting the course for the first government shutdown in 17 years starting Tuesday.
 
"The American people overwhelmingly reject Obamacare. They understand it's not working. The only people who aren't listening to the argument are the career politicians in Washington," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on NBC's Meet the Press.
 
House Republicans gathered Sunday afternoon on the steps of the Senate to call for the Democratic-led body to act on the spending bill the House passed on an almost total party-line vote early Sunday morning.
 
Cruz, who led a 21-hour filibuster-style speech against the health care law, has been a leading GOP advocate for using the stopgap measure as leverage to extract concessions on the Affordable Care Act, which begins open enrollment for the health care insurance exchanges on Oct. 1.
 
Cruz joined a chorus of GOP lawmakers on Sunday talk shows who sought to spread the political blame to President Obama and Senate Democrats if a shutdown occurs. "(Democrats) are the ones playing games. They need to act. They're the ones that are truly threatening a government shutdown by not being here and acting," said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., the fourth-ranking House Republican.
 
The Senate voted Friday to approve a stopgap funding measure through Nov. 15 after a week of debate. On Saturday, the House made a second attempt at dismantling the health law after their first attempt to remove spending for it in the funding bill failed.
 
The House approved 231-192 an amendment to delay implementation for one year, as well as an amendment to repeal a 2.3% tax on medical devices enacted to help pay for the law. The medical device tax is expected to raise $29 billion over 10 years. The House also voted to extend the length of the stopgap bill to Dec. 15, and approved a separate bill to make sure U.S. troops continue to get paid in the event of a shutdown.
 
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, released a statement calling on the Senate to come in to session on Sunday to act on the House-passed amendments. "If the Senate stalls until Monday afternoon instead of working today, it would be an act of breathtaking arrogance by the Senate Democratic leadership." The Senate is scheduled to return Monday at 2 p.m. ET.
 
Many parts of the 2010 health care law have already been implemented, including discounts for prescription medications and the provision allowing children under 26 to remain on their parents' health insurance policies. On Tuesday, the state websites where uninsured Americans can shop for and buy health insurance will open. Those without health insurance will be required to buy it or pay a penalty; those whose income is up to 400% of the poverty level will receive a federal subsidy to help pay for the insurance.
 
Q&A: 66 questions and answers about the government shutdown
 
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the House's action was "pointless" and White House spokesman Jay Carney said it was "reckless and irresponsible" because Obama has already said he will veto any attempt to delay or defund the law in the unlikely event it reaches his desk.
 
Senate rules allow Reid to knock down the two amendments with one motion to table, which needs only 51 votes and cannot be blocked by Republicans.
 
House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Sunday that Republicans were readying a third attempt on Monday if Reid rejects the amendments, as expected.
 
"I think the House will get back together in enough time, send another provision not to shut the government down, but to fund it, and it will have a few other options in there for the Senate to look at again," McCarthy told Fox News Sunday.
 
However, House Republicans' options on the eve of a shutdown are limited. The House could advance a stopgap bill that keeps the government open for a week to keep the health care fight going and the government funded. Republicans could also attempt to advance another provision affecting the health care law, but there is no sign it would meet a different fate in the Senate.
 
Boehner could put the "clean" Senate-passed funding bill on the House floor where it would likely pass on the support of House Democrats with some Republicans, but he is under political pressure from conservative lawmakers and allied outside groups to hold the line.
 
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told CBS's Face the Nation that the Senate will reject the House's latest effort and that he expects a shutdown will occur. "I'm afraid I do," he said.
 
Durbin said Democrats were amendable to finding ways to reform the health care law, and acknowledged that many Democrats support proposals such as the medical device tax repeal, but he said the debate should happen independent of a bill to keep the government running.
 
"I fully support that (debate), but let's sit down in a bipartisan and calm way, not with the prospect of shutting down the government or shutting down the economy," he said.
 
Not all House Republicans back the plan that passed Sunday. New York Reps. Chris Gibson and Richard Hanna both said Sunday they voted against the plan because they didn't consider it a sensible way to deal with their concerns about the health care law.
 
Contributing: Brian Tumulty

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

Eagle caught on camera in rare attack on a deer

0 0
Read Time:1 Minute, 30 Second
LONDON (AP) – The eagle, red-handed.
 
Remote cameras intended to monitor Siberian tigers in Russia instead caught a golden eagle's fatal attack on a deer, snapping three photos as the massive bird dug its talons into the distressed animal's back.
 
London's Zoological Society, which distributed the pictures to journalists, said the sequence showed a rare but not unheard of attack by a golden eagle. The society's Linda Kerley said she first realized something was up when she approached the wildlife-monitoring device – also called a camera trap – and found a mangled deer carcass nearby.
 
"Something felt wrong about it," she said in a statement accompanying the photographs. "There were no large carnivore tracks in the snow, and it looked like the deer had been running and then just stopped and died.
 
"It was only after we got back to camp that I checked the images from the camera and pieced everything together," she said. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing."
 
Golden eagles are large birds. Their wingspan tops 6½ feet and, while they typically eat small birds, mammals, or snakes, they've been known to target larger animals.
 
It's rare for a camera to catch such an attack in progress, and the photos have been an online sensation.
 
The zoological society said the photos were shot in the Lazovsky State Nature Reserve in the Primorye region of Russia's Far East on Dec. 8, 2011. The pictures were released only after the publication of a scholarly article by Kerley and co-author Jonathan Slaght of the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Ohio-based Journal of Raptor Research earlier this month.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

U.S. Spending bill gives $174K to millionaire senator’s widow

0 0
Read Time:2 Minute, 16 Second
WASHINGTON — The $1.1 trillion stopgap spending resolution being debated by Congress also includes a line item to benefit the widow of Sen. Frank Lautenberg.
 
Section 135 of the bill gives a one-time payment to Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg of $174,000, which is equivalent to a year's salary for a senator.
 
The widow's payments are part of a long-standing and routine practice of Congress. But this payment is drawing scrutiny because of Lautenberg's wealth: His estimated net worth was at least $56.8 million in 2012, making him the eighth-wealthiest member of Congress, according to Roll Call.
 
"It should never be happening. This is more deeply ironic given the time that we're in and Sen. Lautenberg's wealth," said Melanie Sloan, the director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a non-profit congressional watchdog. "This is not to pick on Sen. Lautenberg's family in any way. They're grieving. But when the government is preaching austerity — and about to shut down the government even — no one even blinks about sending $174,000."
 
The provision was first included in the continuing resolution passed by the House last week, the first new spending bill to pass since Lautenberg's death. The amended resolution being debated in the Senate retains the payment. By law, Congress must pass a new spending measure by next Monday or large parts of the federal government will shut down.
 
Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, died June 30 at age 89. He was the CEO of Automated Data Processing, a payroll management company, before he was first elected to the Senate in 1982. He married Bonnie Englebardt in 2003.
 
"I just learned about this recently in the news," Bonnie Lautenberg told USA TODAY Thursday. "I don't want to comment on it until I make some decisions about how to handle this. I didn't even know I was getting this money."
 
Congress has paid the funeral expenses of members who die in office since the 19th century, according to the Congressional Research Service. Today, the practice of inserting widow's payments into the next appropriation bill is so routine it's covered in the official Senate handbook.
 
Although most other federal spending is subject to across-the-board cuts under what's become known as "sequestration," Congress specifically exempted "payments to widows and heirs of deceased Members of Congress" under the 2011 budget deal that avoided a government shutdown.
 
Follow @gregorykorte on Twitter.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

U.S. Wendy Davis ready to run for Texas governor

0 0
Read Time:1 Minute, 12 Second
State Sen. Wendy Davis apparently has decided her future includes a 2014 race for Texas governor.
 
The Associated Press reports Davis, who is scheduled to announce her political plans Oct. 3, will jump into the race to succeed Republican Gov. Rick Perry. The AP story is based on two unnamed Democrats with knowledge of her decision.
 
Davis has become a Democratic Party sensation across the country for her marathon filibuster in June against a bill to restrict abortion. Though the Fort Worth lawmaker temporarily succeeded in blocking the bill, the measure eventually passed the Legislature and was signed into law by Perry.
 
Despite her near-celebrity status among Democrats, Davis would have an uphill fight in a campaign for governor. No Democrat has won a statewide Texas office since 1994.
 
She is likely to face Attorney General Greg Abbott, the favorite in the GOP race, next November. Abbott, known outside of Texas for his lawsuits against the Obama administration, has about $20 million in his campaign account.
 
Wayne Slater of The Dallas Morning News reports Davis would need $40 million for the gubernatorial race. She's been padding her campaign account — and raising her profile — with fundraising events and speeches in New York, San Francisco and Washington.
 
Politico first reported Thursday that Davis has been telling "influential Democrats" that she's in the race.
 
Follow @ccamia on Twitter.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %