Sports: Humboldt players make Tri-Valley All-League See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Thursday, November 20, 2014
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Round 2: New York faces More see benefits of health care law another wintry wallop By JIM MCLEAN KHI News Service
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A new blast of lake-effect snow pounded Buffalo for a third day today, piling more misery on a city already buried by an epic, deadly snowfall that could leave some areas with nearly 8 feet of snow on the ground when it’s all done. But the meteorological “kick me” sign on the city hasn’t fallen off just yet. Forecasters say a rapid weekend warmup, with temperatures as high as 60 and rain, could turn all that snow into floods. “It is an extraordinary situation,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters after touring the region Wednesday and talking to truckers who had been stranded more than 24 hours on the Thruway. “It will get worse before it gets better.” Even for Buffalo, a place that typically shrugs at snow,
this was a stunning snowfall the kind of onslaught folks will be telling their grandchildren about. Those living in the Buffalo area were already buried under as much as 5½ feet of snow Wednesday, and they awoke today to more heavy snow that could bring 1 to 3 feet more. The new snow and high winds moved through the city of Buffalo with lightning and thunder overnight, dropping several inches before blasting towns to the south, which were in line for the highest totals, National Weather Service meteorologist David Zaff said. “This is an historic event. When all is said and done, this snowstorm will break all sorts of records, and that’s saying something in Buffalo,” Cuomo said. The storm came in so fast See SNOW | Page A5
TOPEKA — Sherry Calderwood wishes she could turn back the clock. Last fall, she and her husband decided not to purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace because it cost too much. The 45-year-old waitress, who banters with legislators and lobbyists at a popular Topeka breakfast spot just a few blocks from the Kansas Statehouse, had gotten by for years without coverage and thought her luck would hold. It didn’t. “I thought, ‘Oh well, I haven’t been sick all these years. I’ll be fine.’ And here I sit,” Calderwood said while taking a short break during a recent lunch rush. Sapped of energy and bruised from head to toe, she recently went to the doctor and was given a preliminary diagnosis of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, an au-
Sherry Calderwood, a waitress at a Topeka breakfast spot frequented by legislators and lobbyists, didn’t buy insurance through the Obamacare marketplace last year but will this year to cover the cost of treating a recently diagnosed blood disorder. COURTESY/KHI
toimmune disease that thins the blood and in extreme cases causes internal bleeding. Thousands of dollars in tests and hospital stays later, doctors still haven’t pinned down the reason for Calderwood’s condition. Calderwood is worried about leukemia and other pos-
sible causes. And she’s worried about how she is going to pay the bills she’s already racked up. “Yeah, I’m worried,” she said. “I’m worried about my house, my car payments, my family. Christmas is coming See ACA | Page A5
Obama to make case for immigration reform plan
Trent Johnson, left, Hannah Fry, Caitlin Dreher and Colton Heffern placed sixth at the National Skillathon in Louisville this week. COURTESY PHOTO
Southwind 4-H’ers place at Nationals LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A group of four local 4-H’ers made their marks this week at the National 4-H Livestock Skillathon Contest. Southwind 4-H District members Trent Johnson, Caitlin Dreher, Colton Hef-
fern and Hannah Fry took home sixth place as a team in the national contest. The Skillathon requires teams to rotate through various stations addressing areas of animal science: feedstuffs; breed, equipment and
meat identification. The same quartet won the Kansas Skillathon in August. The national competition is part of the North American International Livestock Exposition.
WASHINGTON (MCT) — President Barack Obama appeared to be zeroing in Wednesday on a set of immigration policy changes that could protect 2.5 million to 4.9 million people from deportation, as he prepared to address the nation at 7 o’clock tonight to make his case for reform. The exact number will vary depending on last-minute tweaks to the plan, which was described by an administration official and two outside advocates who were briefed on deliberations and spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Everybody agrees that our immigration system is broken,” Obama said in a video posted on Facebook announcing his plan to speak Thursday. “Unfortunately, Washington has allowed the problems to fester for too long. So, what I’m going to be laying out is some things I can do with my lawful authority as president to make
the system work better.” The announcement follows months of back-and-forth involving Obama, immigration overhaul advocates and members of Congress about how to patch up a system in which an estimated 11 million people live in the U.S. without legal status. For months, Obama has said he was holding off taking executive action in the hopes that the Republicanled House would follow the Democratic-led Senate and pass a bipartisan overhaul to the system. He delayed again during the fall campaign season to take pressure off of Democratic candidates in the midterm election. But with his party’s sweeping losses in that election and Republicans poised to take over the Senate next year, Obama returned from an overseas trip last week telling his staff he was ready to act unilaterally before See IMMIGRATION | Page A5
2014 STRONGEST YEAR FOR JOB GROWTH SINCE 1999
US employers step up hiring; unemployment down WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits declined slightly last week, suggesting that job gains should remain solid. Weekly applications for jobless aid fell 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 291,000, the Labor Department said today. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose 1,750 to 287,500. Employers are laying off fewer workers and have stepped up hiring this year.
The weekly applications are a proxy for layoffs, and have fallen 16 percent in the past 12 months. They are close to the lowest levels since 2000, a sign companies are more confident in the economy and willing to hold onto their staffs. The number of people receiving aid has also fallen steadily, and now stands at 2.33 million, the lowest since December 2000. Yet there are still 9 million people unemployed. Almost one-third have been out of work for six
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months or longer and are no longer eligible for unemployment benefits. And many others out of work are recent college graduates or people who have recently started looking for jobs but weren’t laid off. Only those who have been recently laid off are eligible for aid. The economy has picked up this year, growing at an annual pace of about 4 percent in the past six months. That has led to more hiring: Employers have added an average of
229,000 jobs a month this year, putting 2014 on pace to be strongest year for hiring since 1999. That’s up from an average of 194,000 jobs a month last year. The steady job gains have helped push the unemployment rate down to 5.8 percent, a six-year low. Still, the scars of the Great Recession haven’t fully healed. There are more than 7 million Americans working part-time jobs but who would prefer full-time work. That
“Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.” — Nikos Kazantzakis 75 Cents
compares with 4.6 million before the recession. And there are still 2 million fewer Americans working full-time jobs than before the downturn. The increased hiring has also yet to push up wages much, limiting the broader growth of the U.S. economy. Average hourly pay rose 3 cents in October to $24.57. That’s just 2 percent above the average wage 12 months earlier and barely ahead of a 1.7 percent inflation rate.
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