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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Saturday, January 30, 2016
To Shine A Light On Salary Gaps, Obama Wants Companies To Disclose Pay Data
The proposal would require companies with more than 100 employees to submit data, affecting more than 63 million workers.
The Obama administration is proposing a new rule to address unequal pay practices by requiring companies with more than 100 employees to submit salary data by race, gender and ethnicity.
The announcement comes seven years after President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — his first piece of legislation as president — which makes it easier for women to challenge discriminatory pay in court.
But a stubborn, substantial pay gap between men and women persists — and it affects black and Latina women the most, Obama said Friday as he introduced the proposal. The president said he'd continue to work to reduce the gap as long as he was in office.
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The Obama administration is proposing a new rule to address unequal pay practices by requiring companies with more than 100 employees to submit salary data by race, gender and ethnicity.
The announcement comes seven years after President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — his first piece of legislation as president — which makes it easier for women to challenge discriminatory pay in court.
But a stubborn, substantial pay gap between men and women persists — and it affects black and Latina women the most, Obama said Friday as he introduced the proposal. The president said he'd continue to work to reduce the gap as long as he was in office.
More
At least one killed in shootings, stabbing at Denver motorcycle rally
Denver Health tweeted shortly before 2 p.m. that nine people had been transported to area hospitals.
At a 3:30 p.m. news briefing, the hospital said 7 patients were brought in after the shooting. One died, three are critical and three are stable.
Bob Cook witnessed the shooting. His booth for Quarterchaps, a leather goods company was located across from where the shooting happened.
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PARENTS FURIOUS AFTER SCHOOL CHANGES THE WORD “GOD” TO “ALLAH” IN CHRISTIAN HYMN
Parents of 10 year old children at a school in Austria are reportedly fuming after teachers assigned homework to learn the words to a Christian hymn.. except they substituted the word ‘God’ for the word ‘Allah’.
Austria’s largest newspaper Kronen Zeitung reports that school officials claim to have made the change the words to the song ‘Gottes liebe ist so wunderbar’ (God’s love is so wonderful) to ‘Allah’s liebe ist so wunderbar’ in order not to offend the Muslim children in the class.
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CHELSEA CLINTON: I LIKE JEB BUSH, HE’S MY FAVORITE GOP CANDIDATE
Similarly, George W. Bush described Bill Clinton as his "brother from another mother"
Chelsea Clinton said Jeb Bush is her favorite GOP candidate, highlighting how the Clintons and the Bush family are very close friends.
She called Bush the “best candidate” on the Republican side during a New York City fundraiser for her mother on Wednesday.
Clinton “talked about how she thinks that Jeb Bush is… the only voice on the other side that is demonstrating strong American values,” according to an attendee speaking to CNN.
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Chelsea Clinton said Jeb Bush is her favorite GOP candidate, highlighting how the Clintons and the Bush family are very close friends.
She called Bush the “best candidate” on the Republican side during a New York City fundraiser for her mother on Wednesday.
Clinton “talked about how she thinks that Jeb Bush is… the only voice on the other side that is demonstrating strong American values,” according to an attendee speaking to CNN.
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DHS let unscreened Ebola carriers into U.S.
When responding to a dangerous disease, speed is important. And when Ebola headed toward U.S. shores in 2014, the Homeland Security Department mobilized quickly. But DHS also had training and coordination issues that may have resulted in unscreened Ebola carriers getting into the United States. That's according to the DHS inspector general. Mark Bell, the assistant inspector general for audits at DHS, joins Federal Drivewith Tom Temin to share more.
GO HERE to listen.
GO HERE to listen.
A NEW MADRID EARTHQUAKE IS COMING AND AMERICA WILL BE SHAKEN LIKE NEVER BEFORE
Most Americans expect the next great earthquake in the United States to come on the west coast
But what if it strikes right down the middle of the country instead? The New Madrid fault zone is six times larger than the San Andreas fault zone in California and it covers portions of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. Back in 1811 and 1812, a series of absolutely devastating earthquakes along the New Madrid fault zone opened very deep fissures in the ground, caused the Mississippi River to run backwards in some places, and were reportedly felt as far away as Washington D.C. and Boston. They were the strongest earthquakes ever recorded east of the Rocky Mountains, and scientists tell us that it is only a matter of time before we experience similar quakes. In fact, the U.S. Geological Survey has admitted that the New Madrid fault zone has the “potential for larger and more powerful quakes than previously thought“, and the number of significant earthquakes in the middle part of the country has more than quintupled in recent years. Someday, perhaps without any warning, an absolutely massive earthquake will strike the New Madrid fault. Thousands of Americans will die, tens of thousands of structures will be completely destroyed, and millions of people will find themselves homeless.
Unlike on the west coast, buildings within the New Madrid fault zone are typically not constructed to withstand major earthquakes. If we were to see the type of earthquake that we saw a little over two centuries ago, it would be a disaster unlike anything that any of us have ever known. The following comes from WKRN, and it describes what those earthquakes back in 1811 and 1812 were like…
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But what if it strikes right down the middle of the country instead? The New Madrid fault zone is six times larger than the San Andreas fault zone in California and it covers portions of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. Back in 1811 and 1812, a series of absolutely devastating earthquakes along the New Madrid fault zone opened very deep fissures in the ground, caused the Mississippi River to run backwards in some places, and were reportedly felt as far away as Washington D.C. and Boston. They were the strongest earthquakes ever recorded east of the Rocky Mountains, and scientists tell us that it is only a matter of time before we experience similar quakes. In fact, the U.S. Geological Survey has admitted that the New Madrid fault zone has the “potential for larger and more powerful quakes than previously thought“, and the number of significant earthquakes in the middle part of the country has more than quintupled in recent years. Someday, perhaps without any warning, an absolutely massive earthquake will strike the New Madrid fault. Thousands of Americans will die, tens of thousands of structures will be completely destroyed, and millions of people will find themselves homeless.
Unlike on the west coast, buildings within the New Madrid fault zone are typically not constructed to withstand major earthquakes. If we were to see the type of earthquake that we saw a little over two centuries ago, it would be a disaster unlike anything that any of us have ever known. The following comes from WKRN, and it describes what those earthquakes back in 1811 and 1812 were like…
More
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BANS VALENTINE’S DAY, THANKSGIVING & CHRISTMAS TO AVOID OFFENDING MINORITIES
Parents slam decision as "totally ridiculous"
Bruce Vento Elementary School has banned Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas to avoid offending its minority student population.
“I have come to the difficult decision to discontinue the celebration of the dominant holidays until we can come to a better understanding of how the dominant views will suppress someone else’s view,” principal Scott Masini wrote in a letter to parents.
Masini said the decision was based on his concerns for “tolerance” and “respect,” prompting a backlash from parents who told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the move was “very sad” and “totally ridiculous”.
More
Bruce Vento Elementary School has banned Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas to avoid offending its minority student population.
“I have come to the difficult decision to discontinue the celebration of the dominant holidays until we can come to a better understanding of how the dominant views will suppress someone else’s view,” principal Scott Masini wrote in a letter to parents.
Masini said the decision was based on his concerns for “tolerance” and “respect,” prompting a backlash from parents who told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the move was “very sad” and “totally ridiculous”.
More
Highway safety advocates urge Maryland to toughen drunken driving laws
The title of the report, “Missing in Action,” indicates how the group sees lawmakers’ efforts to toughen road safety requirements. Noting the rise in highway deaths and efforts to rollback highway safety laws in some states, the report summary reads, “Time for State Leaders to Get to Work.”
In the report, each state was given a rating: green, yellow or red, with green being a state with the most “optimal” legislation — stricter rules for graduated licensing for teens, for example. D.C. had a “green” status, Maryland and Virginia each earned the “yellow” designation.
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Answer To Today's Puzzle 1-30-16
Click 'READ MORE' below to see the answer
Japan Starts Negative Interest Rates to Boost Economy
The Bank of Japan on Friday said it will charge lenders that leave too much cash on idle deposit with it, introducing a negative interest rate policy for the first time as it seeks to shore up a stumbling economic recovery.
The surprise move rattled stock market investors, with the Nikkei 225 index swinging between gains and losses after the announcement. It closed 2.8 percent higher. The Japanese yen slid, with the U.S. dollar rising to about 120.70 yen from about 118.50 earlier in the day.
The central bank said it is imposing a 0.1 percent fee on some new commercial bank deposits with the BOJ, effectively a negative interest rate. It hopes that will encourage commercial banks to lend more, rather than keeping cash at the BOJ, and stimulate investment and growth in the world's third-largest economy.
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The surprise move rattled stock market investors, with the Nikkei 225 index swinging between gains and losses after the announcement. It closed 2.8 percent higher. The Japanese yen slid, with the U.S. dollar rising to about 120.70 yen from about 118.50 earlier in the day.
The central bank said it is imposing a 0.1 percent fee on some new commercial bank deposits with the BOJ, effectively a negative interest rate. It hopes that will encourage commercial banks to lend more, rather than keeping cash at the BOJ, and stimulate investment and growth in the world's third-largest economy.
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Officials: Worcester water safe
Given the broad coverage given the Flint, Michigan lead-tainted water disaster, some people might wonder just how safe this county’s water systems are.
In short, they’re in good shape. Though there may be trace amounts of lead found in county or town water, the amounts are well below tolerance and even then it shows up only because lab tests employed here are so sensitive, according to John Ross, county deputy director of public works.
“We pull water samples from homes, not at our water plants, and while the containment goal is zero it’s harder to get there because the labs are more sophisticated,” Ross said.
Ross said during the most recent round of testing, conducted annually, the county’s water tested in the two-to-six parts per billion range for lead, where the actionable level of the heavy metal is 15 parts per billion.
“It’s about a third of the actionable level,” Ross said.
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In short, they’re in good shape. Though there may be trace amounts of lead found in county or town water, the amounts are well below tolerance and even then it shows up only because lab tests employed here are so sensitive, according to John Ross, county deputy director of public works.
“We pull water samples from homes, not at our water plants, and while the containment goal is zero it’s harder to get there because the labs are more sophisticated,” Ross said.
Ross said during the most recent round of testing, conducted annually, the county’s water tested in the two-to-six parts per billion range for lead, where the actionable level of the heavy metal is 15 parts per billion.
“It’s about a third of the actionable level,” Ross said.
More
Erin Brockovich to Investigate Water Pollution in Hoosick Falls
Erin Brockovich — the famed environmental activist portrayed by Julia Roberts in a hit movie — is headed to upstate New York to probe a string of rare cancer deaths and illnesses residents fear were caused by a contaminated water supply.
The Albany Times Union says over decades, a toxic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) may have seeped into the underground wells of Hoosick Falls, when workers at a plastics plant cleaned smokestacks and other equipment and dumped the byproducts in a storm drain.
PFOA, used in non-stick coatings and heat-resistant wiring, has been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, as well as thyroid diseases, The Times reports.
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The Albany Times Union says over decades, a toxic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) may have seeped into the underground wells of Hoosick Falls, when workers at a plastics plant cleaned smokestacks and other equipment and dumped the byproducts in a storm drain.
PFOA, used in non-stick coatings and heat-resistant wiring, has been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, as well as thyroid diseases, The Times reports.
More
Berlin mural work gets underway
The first section of a planned five-panel public mural took shape this week, as dozens of children at Buckingham Elementary School in Berlin worked with muralist John Donato for several days.
The effort started last Thursday in Melissa Reid’s art classroom, but progress was pushed back by the winter storms. When finished, the panel will go on the north-facing side of the Berlin Visitor’s Center on Main Street.
“The progress by these kids has been fantastic,” Donato said. “There’s a lot of energy and a lot of good ideas. The staff has been great putting the whole schedule together, and we have volunteers from around the community coming in.
“We’re really moving along,” he added. “Because of everybody’s participating, we’re able to put a lot more paint into this project than we anticipated, so it’s going to be really something to see.”
More
The effort started last Thursday in Melissa Reid’s art classroom, but progress was pushed back by the winter storms. When finished, the panel will go on the north-facing side of the Berlin Visitor’s Center on Main Street.
“The progress by these kids has been fantastic,” Donato said. “There’s a lot of energy and a lot of good ideas. The staff has been great putting the whole schedule together, and we have volunteers from around the community coming in.
“We’re really moving along,” he added. “Because of everybody’s participating, we’re able to put a lot more paint into this project than we anticipated, so it’s going to be really something to see.”
More
US Paychecks Showed Little Sign of Accelerating in 4th Quarter
U.S. paychecks increased moderately in the final three months of last year, yet the gain was little changed from the sluggish post-recession trend.
The employment cost index, which tracks wages and benefits, rose 0.6 percent in the October-December quarter, the Labor Department said. That's the same as the previous three months.
In the past year, salaries and benefits have risen just 2 percent, the same annual pace as the previous two quarters. That is below the roughly 3.5 percent rate that is consistent with a healthy economy.
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The employment cost index, which tracks wages and benefits, rose 0.6 percent in the October-December quarter, the Labor Department said. That's the same as the previous three months.
In the past year, salaries and benefits have risen just 2 percent, the same annual pace as the previous two quarters. That is below the roughly 3.5 percent rate that is consistent with a healthy economy.
More
City revises fees for labor, equipment used in events
The Ocean City Council has modified the fees it charges promoters whose events require help from city workers or the use of city-owned equipment.
In a resolution passed last week, the council aimed to simplify what had been a complicated and costly business of charging promoters for virtually everything the city provided.
The new structure has slight fee reductions, such as charging $10 for using the podium per day instead of by the hour or establishing one rental fee for small and large mobile bleachers. But the major changes are slashing the list of equipment, hardware and employees that events would be charged for using.
The structure that was adopted late last year includes rental prices for 66 equipment items from chairs to barricades. There also were 39 entries for heavy equipment, such as buses and forklifts, and their operators.
The new structure only has cost listings for 40 equipment items and 15 employees and large hardware items.
More
In a resolution passed last week, the council aimed to simplify what had been a complicated and costly business of charging promoters for virtually everything the city provided.
The new structure has slight fee reductions, such as charging $10 for using the podium per day instead of by the hour or establishing one rental fee for small and large mobile bleachers. But the major changes are slashing the list of equipment, hardware and employees that events would be charged for using.
The structure that was adopted late last year includes rental prices for 66 equipment items from chairs to barricades. There also were 39 entries for heavy equipment, such as buses and forklifts, and their operators.
The new structure only has cost listings for 40 equipment items and 15 employees and large hardware items.
More
Trump-less Fox News Debate Gets Second-Lowest Ratings
The first Republican presidential debate of the season without front-runner Donald Trump generated smaller viewer interest than all but one of this cycle's prior GOP gatherings, according to preliminary Nielsen estimates — but still drew four times as many viewers as Trump's competing event.
In the metered-market overnights, which represent 56 of the nation's largest markets, Fox News Channel's debate from Iowa averaged an 8.4 household rating. This is up vs. the 7.4 overnight rating for the most recent GOP debate, on Fox Business Network earlier this month, but it stands as the second lowest-rated of the six Republican gatherings this cycle.
Nielsen will issue total-viewer estimates later Friday, but it's likely that last night's debate on FNC averaged in the vicinity of 12 million viewers.
By comparison, the combined viewership of CNN and MSNBC, which covered Trump's competing Iowa event last night, appears to be about 3 million or so, according to an analysis by CNN.
More
In the metered-market overnights, which represent 56 of the nation's largest markets, Fox News Channel's debate from Iowa averaged an 8.4 household rating. This is up vs. the 7.4 overnight rating for the most recent GOP debate, on Fox Business Network earlier this month, but it stands as the second lowest-rated of the six Republican gatherings this cycle.
Nielsen will issue total-viewer estimates later Friday, but it's likely that last night's debate on FNC averaged in the vicinity of 12 million viewers.
By comparison, the combined viewership of CNN and MSNBC, which covered Trump's competing Iowa event last night, appears to be about 3 million or so, according to an analysis by CNN.
More
Publishers Notes: Everyone should look at how many ON LINE viewers Trump had of his Veteran gathering/fundraiser.
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