Dr Joy DeGruy - WVSR 1360.1AM PHILLY INTERNET RADIO

Dr Joy DeGruy - WVSR 1360.1AM PHILLY INTERNET RADIO

This Day in History - WVSR 1360.1AM PHILLY INTERNET RADIO

This Day in History - WVSR 1360.1AM PHILLY INTERNET RADIO

Dr. Gabor Maté on the Stress-Disease Connection, Addiction, Attention Deficit Disorder and the Destruction of American Childhood

Dr. Gabor Maté on the Stress-Disease Connection, Addiction, Attention Deficit Disorder and the Destruction of American Childhood

Many of our children have been diagnosed with ADHD. What do can parents do to help? Dr. Gabor says, "Hold on to your children". In these three segments Dr. Gabor gives us plenty to digest. We must take a serious look at what we are doing to our children. Where are their morals, principals and values going to come from? Where are they getting them from now? What are we going to do if anything, or it this just another "sign of the times"?

Haiti Earthquake: The Hidden Holocaust

Sisters and Daughters of Sheba (SADOS): A culturally-sensitive and gender-appropriate HIV risk reduction program for African American heterosexual women and teen ladies.

Sisters and Daughters of Sheba (SADOS): A culturally-sensitive and gender-appropriate HIV risk reduction program for African American heterosexual women and teen ladies.

If the Airport is a Police State, What is the Ghetto?

If the Airport is a Police State, What is the Ghetto?

Dr. Gabor Mat�on ADHD, Bullying and the Destruction of American Childhood

Dr. Gabor Mat�on ADHD, Bullying and the Destruction of American Childhood

Child ODs On Methadone In Sippy Cup

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office booking photo of Dana Michell Anderson
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 30-year-old woman is charged with aggravated manslaughter after a 2-year-old boy died after coming in contact with methadone she admitted leaving in a child's plastic drinking cup, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
The boy's father, Ernest Wright, said he was in school when it happened and he came to his home on Alta Drive on Nov. 15 to find his son unconscious.
He took the boy to a hospital, where the boy was pronounced dead on arrival.

The autopsy revealed Masia Wright died from methadone toxicity and the medical examiner ruled the case a homicide.
According to the arrest report, when interviewed by detectives on Monday, Dana Michell Anderson admitted to leaving a purple sippy cup with about 80 mg of methadone in it on the dresser of her bedroom.


Family Photo

Masia WrightWright said that Anderson was not the boy's mother, but she had helped raise him since he was 3 months old. He believes his son must have seen the cup and thought there was juice inside.
"I know she loved my son and she wouldn't do anything like that," Wright said. "She just wasn't thinking."
Police records show Anderson has several previous arrests, including several drug charges, petty theft and traffic charges.
The Florida Department of Children and Families spokesman John Harrell said the agency was investigating Masia's death. Harrell said this is a tragic reminder that people be very careful about anything left within the reach of a children.

Rastafari Speaks Interactive - Haiti's Sham Elections: Solidifying Imperial Control

Rastafari Speaks Interactive - Haiti's Sham Elections: Solidifying Imperial Control

Press Release: SugarHouse Employees Donate 250 Turkeys

Press Release: SugarHouse Employees Donate 250 Turkeys


SugarHouse Casino

PHILADELPHIA—November 23, 2010—SugarHouse Casino announced today that its employees have donated 250 turkeys to several charities in the casino’s immediate community, providing Thanksgiving meals for the less fortunate.

It started when the SugarHouse leadership team decided to buy all of its nearly 1,000 employees their holiday birds this season to show how thankful they are for the team’s hard work and dedication.

The employees were offered the option to donate their turkeys to local groups – and more than 25 percent of the work force opted to give their turkeys to those less fortunate.

“The SugarHouse team really came through once again, and together we are donating more than 250 turkeys to local schools and charities that directly support the surrounding communities,” said Wendy Hamilton, SugarHouse’s general manager. “This generous act is another reminder of our fantastic team members and their dedication to providing great service for our customers and community.”

The turkeys are going to groups such as Fishtown’s St. Francis Inn, St. Peter’s School, the Philadelphia Brotherhood Rescue Mission, Fishtown Action and Holy Name of Jesus Parish – all dedicated to helping those in need.

SugarHouse’s support for the community runs deep, and through a partnership with the Penn Treaty Special Services District (SSD), the casino has helped fund many neighborhood improvement programs. These programs include student enrichment activities, as well as improvements to local parks and playgrounds. The SSD includes Fishtown, Northern Liberties and parts of Kensington and Port Richmond.

For additional information about SugarHouse Casino, visit www.sugarhousecasino.com.

ABOUT SUGARHOUSE CASINO
SugarHouse Casino, opened in September 2010, is Philadelphia’s first casino. SugarHouse features 1,600 slots, up to 40 table games, fun and unique dining options, riverfront views and free on-site parking. The casino employs approximately 900 people and is one of 10 operating casinos in Pennsylvania. For more information, visit www.sugarhousecasino.com.

There's No Business Like the Religion Business

Pastor Creflo A. Dollar


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

In metro Atlanta and elsewhere, the number of megachurches, which have long been defined as having a weekly attendance of 2,000 or more, are still drawing huge numbers of worshippers and receiving millions of dollars in the collection plate."Amazingly, the North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA, has an annual budget of $40 million -- only $10.3 million less than the city of Alpharetta.While some megachurches have hit hard times (the Rev. Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral recently filed for bankruptcy), their leaders have, historically, lived quite well.Creflo A. Dollar, pastor of Atlanta's World Changers Church, preaches the "prosperity gospel," which may or may not bring prosperity to his flock. But it definitely brings prosperity to him.Dollar and his wife Taffi live in a $3 million Atlanta mansion, as well as a $2.44 million Manhattan condo.They get around in a private jet, two Rolls-Royces (although Creflo insists they only have one), and a Hummer.It was this sort of profligate spending that piqued the interest of Senator Charles Grassley in 2007, when he requested detailed financial documents from Dollar and five other megachurch leaders to ensure they were not in violation of their tax-exempt status.Dollar refused, citing some sort of bizarre legal issue, which he valiantly attempted to explain to Larry King.



Three years later, Dollar apparently still has not complied with the Senator's request."If he sticks to his guns," Grassley said, "this will be the first nonprofit that I know of that hasn't cooperated with us over the last five or six years."If nothing else, it certainly raises an eyebrow or two when the head of a "nonprofit" entity finds enough profit lying around to afford a home like this:


Jesus, that's a nice house.

FRONTPAGENEWS.US Is Now FPNNEWS.US

FRONTPAGENEWS.US Is Now FPNNEWS.US


Taken from a 2003 photo: Cheyenne Samara Downing
(Stone) then age 6 and Samson Dakota Downing
(Stone) then age 2. Big brother and sister of
little Van Stone Jr. pictured far below. These are the
kids that influenced FPN News to be what it is today.

Here's a bullying Prevention story about these two kids you'll want to read

Dear Readers:

Philadelphia Front Page News has gotten newsier since Philadelphia Front Page News published an all new web address at www.fpnnews.us in Philadelphia, PA! And this web address is the newsiest one yet, with 190,000 readers reading, listening and watching the hottest news at the coolest times!

So come on over and check out FPN Weekly Press/Bullying Prevention/Philadelphia Front Page News' credible selection of social and political stories!

And when you're in Philadelphia, or Folcroft, Southeast Delco, or Harrisburg, check out our other fantastic news.

Go to www.fpnnews.us.



As of Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Philadelphia Front Page News' online blog and Van Stone

has changed its name to

FPNNEWS

to reflect the addition of news...

NOW WE ARE WEEKLY PRESS/BULLYING PREVENTION NEWS/PHILADELPHIA FRONT PAGE NEWS

We'll continue to serve you with all kinds of news, and as always, we're happy to post news for credible reporting



Come see us

Although we're are no longer HERE AT THIS WEBSITE publishing just news. We are here at this website speaking out about respect for all colors and gender partnerships - Includes news and opinion about straight and gay issues such as marriage, the military, and equal opportunities.

WE'RE ALSO AT THE NEW WEB ADDRESS:

www.fpnnews.us




Roger Robbie, the Hip Hop Raccoon (character by Herb Rogers, Jr. and Van Stone) helping to prevent both kid and adult bullying! And Roger Robbie supports recycling education too.

ACTUAL WVSR1360.WEBS.COM CONTENT OR MANAGEMENT OF WVSR1360.WEBS.COM TEAM CONTACT DIANE WHITE AT DIANE@DLIGHTEN.COM FOR WVSR1360.WEBS.COM AND

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ENJOY WVSR1360.WEBS.COM!



Van Stone Jr.

Give us an e-mail at frontpagenews1@yahoo.com if you have interest in a credible story or news maker about gay or straight news for the online paper

Thank you to all of our readers at FPN for following us for over 12 years

Stick with us

We are your community -not for profit- newspaper

Our Haitian Family Needs Us

Please read e-mail First before you listen to understand. Interview with me on 102.3 FM KJL

Click Here To Hear Interview

Help us pack donations & Recession Fundraiser:

This Saturday November 19, 2010 and next Saturday November 27, 2010 Mothers for Africa invites you to help pack donations to be sent to Haiti. The donations are clothes, food and medical supplies. Food and drinks will be provided. It will start at 10:00 AM on both Saturdays. Please call us for more information at 626-710-6676. If you would like to bring medical supplies and bags of rice and beans please feel free to do so. Also, if you have any boxes lying around bring those too for packing. If it rains packing will be rescheduled.

Recession Fundraiser:

We at Mothers for Africa & Light Path for Haiti have been offered a really good deal to purchase transportation that we will utilize to transport our staff on the ground in Haiti. We are purchasing a van and a truck that will be used to transport supplies and set up Mobil clinics.

If we could get Six hundred people to go online and donate $10.00 at www.MothersforAfrica.org or mail us $10.00 to P.O. Box 6579, Altadena CA, 91003 we will have enough to purchase the vehicles and ship our supplies, If you can afford to send more money please do so, your donation will be spent wisely. Remember we are a 501 c 3 and it is a tax right off. For the record none of the money donated has been utilized to pay for our staff's airline tickets or our cost on the ground!

Building Housing in Haiti:

We have applied for our first grants to start building housing in Haiti.

Progress from last trip:

On our last trip we were able to feed 4 thousand people, sponsor more children; some of the children were on the brink of death from starvation. Please go online www.MothersforAfrica.org and sponsor a child today for as little as $26.00 a month or more.

Also, on our last trip our Volunteer Jackie started a Micro Loan project for women to rebuild their business. The women have already begun to pay back the money. The money will be recycled to others to help start more businesses. Please contact us if you are interested in this project 626-710-6676.

Letter to USAID:

I have attached a letter I sent to Mr. Porter from USAID regarding a conversation I had with him. I discovered that USAID was not passing out food stored in warehouses because I was invited by Congresswoman Maxine Walters to an update meeting on Haiti. The Congresswoman questioned him why USAID was not passing out food from the warehouses.  Mr. Porter replied because they were waiting to see if there was going to be a hurricane.  I spoke to him after the meeting and advised him that people were starving in Petit Goave Haiti. I got his card and follow-up with him about the situation. He advised me that I was mistaken and that there were no people starving in Petit Goave (which was the epic center of the earthquake).  I sent him the attached letter.  I called him and this is what he stated: There is now food for the people of Petit Goave Haiti to purchase".  I asked him with what money? He stated: "People are now working just as much as they were before the earthquake". I advised him that I did not have statistics in hand, but that would seem impossible with most of the infrastructure destroyed from the earthquake. I also, advised him how I ran into two contractors from the US who could not get through the red tape and where on their way back home, so who is hiring the people.  He then stated: "We (USAID) have food distribution centers in Petit Goave". I asked him were where they so we could send people to get food. He told me he would call me back and let me know. This was two weeks ago.

I followed up with an aid in Maxine Waters's office and she advised me that she spoke with Mr. Porter per my request and he advised her that I was mistaken about the starvation and that I did not know the definition of starvation. I advised her that we went to Haiti with a Medical team licensed to practice in the US and that they diagnosed the people not me. Nothing was resolved.  I will do a follow up with them again next week and keep you posted. Please see video footage I attached of a two in half year old girl that was diagnosed as starving, she has since sponsored by us. Also, go to the website and see the child I sponsored. He is sitting in a chair. He was fourteen years old at the time and was so weak he had to be carried to our Doctor. Since I have sponsored him I received my first picture of him standing on his own and smiling for the first time, holding the money I sent him. This is truly what keeps me going in this business.  Please, I encourage you to see the attached letter address to Mr. Porter and write him with your concerns. For this is your tax dollars not at work!

This is an emergency situation. I beg you for your help. We ran into many good hearted Haitian people that just need a fresh start. Haitian people are very proud people and are not used to these living conditions. All of the government buildings were destroyed; there is no government assistance to help them. Most of the money promised they have not received. There is more Non Profits on the ground in Haiti then anywhere around the world but you cannot see what they are doing. Those of you who know us, friends and family please help us. 

I have also attached an interview I did on 102.3 FM KJLH with host Dominique Daprima talking about the incident with USAID (before I sent the letter).  I have also been on www.LIBradio.com with Keidi Adwadu discussing this issue.

Please join Mothers for Africa and Light Path for Haiti on our next trip:

Please join forces with us on our next trip in March and you can witness firsthand what is going on in Haiti. Please, if you cannot attend the next trip do a fundraiser for us. Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.

Sincerely,

Nehanda (Nana).

Mothers for Africa, The Nana Sekyiaabea Foundation
www.MothersforAfrica.org
626-710-6676

If you missed Any of our Emails or To Sign Up To Our Email List===>>  CLICK HERE

Asante Sana

Bro Gary Black Power Productions

Death Toll From Cholera in Haiti Reaches 900 | CommonDreams.org

Death Toll From Cholera in Haiti Reaches 900 | CommonDreams.org

Monster TEAM Values Comic Strip Produced by Rep. Kenyatta J. Johnson Creator Van Stone At Philadelphia Front Page News

Monster TEAM Values Comic Strip Produced by Rep. Kenyatta J. Johnson Creator Van Stone At Philadelphia Front Page News

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has apologized to African leaders on behalf of Arab nations for their involvement in the African slave trade.

Gaddafi also warned leaders about an increasing threat of annexation and division in Africa in the event that the Sudanese decide to split the country into two states.

Oil-rich Southern Sudan plans to hold a referendum in January 2011 on whether it should remain part of Sudan or establish an independent state.

Washington State Bans Alcoholic Energy Drinks

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Washington state is banning alcoholic energy drinks.
The state Liquor Control Board adopted that rule Wednesday morning. It takes effect Nov. 18.
The ban comes after nine Central Washington University students were hospitalized after a party last month. Authorities say they drank the caffeinated malt liquor beverage Four Loko.
Gov. Chris Gregoire asked the board to consider the ban. And Attorney General Rob McKenna has asked the Food and Drug Administration to consider whether such drinks are safe.

Supporting Respect For Gay and Straight Rights: Philadelphia Front Page News Announcement Of New Business Name To Stop Bullying by Van Stone

As of Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Philadelphia Front Page News' online blog and Van Stone

has changed its name to

FPNNEWS

to reflect the addition of news...


We'll continue to serve you with all kinds of news, and as always, we're happy to post news for credible reporting




Come see us

Although we're are no longer HERE AT THIS WEBSITE publishing just news. We are here at this website speaking out about respect for all colors and gender partnerships - Includes news and opinion about straight and gay issues such as marriage, the military, and equal opportunities.

WE'RE ALSO AT THE NEW WEB ADDRESS:

www.fpnnews.us




Roger Robbie, the Hip Hop Raccoon (character by Herb Rogers, Jr. and Van Stone) helping to prevent both kid and adult bullying! And Roger Robbie supports recycling education too.

ACTUAL WVSR1360.COM CONTENT OR MANAGEMENT OF WVSR1360.COM TEAM CONTACT DIANE WHITE AT DIANE@DLIGHTEN.COM FOR WVSR1360.COM AND

LETS THANK HER FOR GREAT CONTENT!

ENJOY WVSR1360.COM!

Van Stone Jr.

Give us an e-mail at frontpagenews1@yahoo.com if you have interest in a credible story or news maker about gay or straight news for the online paper

Thank you to all of our readers at FPN for following us for over 12 years

Stick with us

We are your community -not for profit- newspaper

Military gay ban becomes election-year hot button

Military gay ban becomes election-year hot button

FILE - In this Aug. 26, 2010, file photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., talks about the border violence and the killing of 72 migrants in northern Mexico, while speaking at a League of Arizona Cities and Towns Annual Conference luncheon in Glendale, Ariz. It's John McCain versus Lady Gaga as the Senate takes up repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military. Senate Democrats have attached a measure ending "don't ask, don't tell" to a bill authorizing $726 billion in military spending next year.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's John McCain versus Lady Gaga on Tuesday as the Senate takes up the emotional issue of repealing the ban on gays serving openly in the military.

Senate Democrats have attached repeal of the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" law to a bill authorizing $726 billion in military spending next year. The fate of the move appears uncertain, but whichever way the votes go, repeal seems destined to become a major issue in this fall's midterm elections.

The law is already under siege. A federal judge in California recently ruled the ban on gays was unconstitutional, polls suggest a majority of Americans oppose it and Lady Gaga has challenged it in a YouTube video.

Repeal advocates say the law deprives the military of capable soldiers and violates civil rights.

But McCain of Arizona and other prominent Republicans are fighting to keep the law in place, at least until the Pentagon completes a survey later this year on repeal's likely effect on troops. GOP critics say lifting the ban at a time when troops are fighting two wars would undermine morale.

"I regret to see that the long-respected and revered Senate Armed Services Committee has evolved into a forum for a social agenda of the liberal left of the Senate," McCain said last week on the Senate floor.

An estimated 13,000 people have been discharged under the law since its inception in 1993. Although most dismissals have resulted from gay service members outing themselves, gay rights' groups say it has been used by vindictive co-workers to drum out troops who never made their sexuality an issue.

Top defense leaders, including Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, have said they support a repeal but want to move slowly to ensure changes won't hurt morale.

Gates has asked Congress not to act until the military finishes a study, due Dec. 1, on how to lift the ban without causing problems.

He also has said he could live with the proposed legislation because it would postpone implementation until 60 days after the Pentagon completes its review and the president certifies that repeal won't hurt morale, recruiting or retention.

The provision is included in a broader defense policy bill that authorizes $726 billion in military spending for next year, including $159 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a 1.4 percent pay raise for the troops.

By reviving the issue just before the midterm Congressional elections, Democrats are trying to score points with their political base and portray Republicans as obstructionists willing to shoot down a bill that includes the pay raises.

According to a February 2010 poll by the Pew Research Center, 61 percent of Americans said they favor allowing gays to serve openly, while 27 percent said they are opposed.

"Don't ask, don't tell" has become a perennial battleground in America's ongoing culture wars. This time, though, the forces backing repeal seem closer to victory than ever because Democrats control both the White House and Congress.

The House has already passed similar legislation. More recently, a federal judge in Los Angeles sided with a gay rights group and ruled that the military's policy violates due-process and free-speech rights.

Pop star Lady Gaga led a political rally in favor of repeal in Maine on Monday. The state is home to the two Republican senators - Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins - seen as most likely to side with Democrats on the issue. Lady Gaga said it was unjust to have goodhearted gay soldiers booted from military service while straight soldiers who harbor hatred toward gays are allowed to fight for their country.

She suggested a new policy should target straight soldiers who are "uncomfortable" with gay soldiers in their midst.

"Our new law is called 'If you don't like it, go home!'" she said.

Collins and Snowe have not said how they will vote this week. While Collins sided with Democrats during committee deliberations on the bill, Snowe says she would prefer to keep the ban intact until the Pentagon completes its Dec. 1 study.

In a statement, Snowe also raised questions about procedural tactics being used by Democrats to limit debate on the bill by restricting the number of amendments to three.

Spokesman John Gentzel said Snowe was paying attention to the Lady Gaga rally. But he referred reporters to Snowe's statement that said the Senate needs more time.

It's not clear whether repeal will pass the Senate. Even if Democrats block McCain's proposal to strip the provision from the spending bill, final passage is likely to be complicated by other issues.

Republicans are also hotly contesting a separate provision that would lift a long-standing ban on abortions at military facilities.

And in yet another nod to election-year politics, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., wants to attach the DREAM Act to the bill. The provision would allow thousands of young illegal immigrants who attend college or join the military to become legal U.S. residents.

Democrats say the immigration measure would boost military recruitment while Republicans say it would unfairly reward illegal immigrants with amnesty.

Reid has said a final vote on the defense policy bill may have to wait until after the elections.

Big waves pound Bermuda as Hurricane Igor nears

Big waves pound Bermuda as Hurricane Igor nears

Waves crash onto the beach at John Smith's Bay in Smith's Parish as Hurricane Igor approaches in Bermuda, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said tropical storm winds will start battering Bermuda Saturday night, with the hurricane expected to pass near Bermuda early Monday.

HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) -- Big waves pounded Bermuda's beaches Sunday as islanders rushed to board up windows, fill sandbags and stock up on water, food and other supplies before Hurricane Igor's expected arrival.

Under dark, cloudy skies, onlookers gathered along beaches to watch the 15-foot (5-meter) surf smash into breakwaters. Some were optimistic that a weakened Igor, which was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane overnight, would spare the wealthy British enclave serious damage.

"We prayed that the storm would be downgraded, and it looks like our prayers have been answered," said Fred Swan, a 52-year-old teacher.

Igor was expected to pass over or very close to Bermuda late Sunday or early Monday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Wind gusts of hurricane force were already being reported on Bermuda by late morning.

It had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (135 kph) - significantly weakened from previous days when it was an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, but still dangerous.

Officials urged islanders to take shelter at home. Public Safety Minister David Burch warned "the storm will be a long and punishing one."

Premier Ewart Brown said islanders "have been forced to recognize that the ocean is not so vast and Bermuda not so unique as to be separated from the awesome power of nature."

High surf kicked up by the storm has already swept two people out to sea in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, far to the south.

Late Sunday morning, Igor was about 115 miles (185 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda and heading north at 16 mph (26 kph), according to the U.S. hurricane center.

Forecasters said the storm could drop 6 to 9 inches (15 to 23 centimeters) of rain over Bermuda and cause significant coastal flooding.

Steve Gibbons and five relatives ventured out on foot to Somerset Bridge, where high winds whipped the sea over the bridge and made it difficult to stand up straight.

"Later on, we'll be inside hunkered down," Gibbons said while bracing himself against the gusting wind.

Bermudians rushed to pull boats out of the water and buy supplies on Saturday.

"We've sold out of generators, tarpaulins, buckets, rope, screws, bottled water, coolers, even trash cans and plastic sheeting," said Mark Stearns of Masters Ltd., a home and garden store in the capital of Hamilton. "Anything people can use to secure their homes."

Hotel cancellations were reported across Bermuda, popular with tourists for its pink sand beaches and with businesspeople as an offshore financial haven.

A causeway linking the main island with St. George's parish was closed, along with the L.F. Wade International Airport.

The last plane to leave was a British Airways flight to London, which departed three hours earlier than usual Saturday. Aboard was Jane Royden, 47, and her husband, both from Birmingham, England.

"We are quite relieved to be leaving and concerned for the safety of the island and everyone here," said Royden, who cut her two-week vacation short by a week.

Officials said schools would be closed Monday and Tuesday, and a local newspaper canceled its Monday edition.

Hurricane Fabian killed four people when it hit Bermuda as a Category 3 hurricane in 2003.

In Mexico, people were cleaning up from flooding and wind damage caused by Hurricane Karl, which killed at least seven people after it came ashore Friday.

Officials reported seven fatalities from Karl, which continued to soak south-central parts of the country over the weekend even as it dissipated.

They included a 61-year-old woman and a 2-year-old girl who died when a landslide buried a house in the town of Nexticapan in Puebla state. In Veracruz state, a woman and two young children were swept away by a rushing river in Cotaxtla.

Government workers and residents cleared mud, water and tree branches from homes and businesses in Cotaxtla, a town of 5,000 residents, where the flooding reached to the rooftops of buildings.

"There are no words for this," Mayor Cirilo Pena said. "It's something we didn't expect. It's the first time this river has risen so far."

Far out in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Julia was weakening and not expected to threaten land.

Blown-out BP well finally killed at bottom of Gulf

Blown-out BP well finally killed at bottom of Gulf

FILE - This April 21, 2010 file photo shows the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burning after an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, off the southeast tip of Louisiana. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal government's point man on the disaster, said Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010, BP's well "is effectively dead." A permanent cement plug sealed BP's well nearly 2.5 miles below the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico, five agonizing months after an explosion sank a drilling rig and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

A permanent cement plug sealed BP's well nearly 2.5 miles below the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico, five agonizing months after an explosion sank a drilling rig and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal government's point man on the disaster, said Sunday BP's well "is effectively dead" and posed no further threat to the Gulf. Allen said a pressure test to ensure the cement plug would hold was completed at 5:54 a.m. CDT.

The gusher was contained in mid-July after a temporary cap was successfully fitted atop the well. Mud and cement were later pushed down through the top of the well, allowing the cap to be removed.

But the well could not be declared dead until a relief well was drilled so that the ruptured well could be sealed from the bottom, ensuring it never causes a problem again. The relief well intersected the blown-out well Thursday, and crews started pumping in the cement on Friday.

The April 20 blast killed 11 workers, and 206 million gallons of oil spewed.

The disaster caused an environmental and economic nightmare for people who live, work and play along hundreds of miles of Gulf shoreline from Florida to Texas. It also spurred civil and criminal investigations, cost gaffe-prone BP chief Tony Hayward his job, and brought increased governmental scrutiny of the oil and gas industry, including a costly moratorium on deepwater offshore drilling that is still in place.

Gulf residents will be feeling the pain for years to come. There is still plenty of oil in the water, and some continues to wash up on shore. Many people are still struggling to make ends meet with some waters still closed to fishing. Shrimpers who are allowed to fish are finding it difficult to sell their catch because of the perception - largely from people outside the region - that the seafood is not safe to eat. Tourism along the Gulf has taken a hit.

The disaster also has taken a toll on the once mighty oil giant BP PLC. The British company's stock price took a nosedive after the explosion, though it has recovered somewhat. Its image as a steward of the environment was stained and its stated commitment to safety was challenged. Owners of BP-branded gas stations in the U.S. were hit with lost sales, as customers protested at the pump.

And on the financial side: BP has already shelled out $9.5 billion in cleanup costs, and the company has promised to set aside another $20 billion for a victims compensation fund. The company could face tens of billions of dollars more in government fines and legal costs from hundreds of pending lawsuits.

BP took some of the blame for the Gulf oil disaster in an internal report issued earlier this month, acknowledging among other things that its workers misinterpreted a key pressure test of the well. But in a possible preview of its legal strategy, it also pointed the finger at its partners on the doomed rig.

BP was a majority owner of the well that blew out, and it was leasing the rig that exploded from owner Transocean Ltd.

Distraught Hopkins gunman killed himself, mother

Distraught Hopkins gunman killed himself, mother

Members of the Baltimore County SWAT team arrive at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after a man shot and wounded a doctor, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010.

BALTIMORE (AP) -- A man who became distraught as he was being briefed on his mother's condition at Johns Hopkins Hospital pulled a gun and shot the doctor Thursday, then killed his mother and himself in her room at the world-famous medical center, police said.

Baltimore police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III said the doctor had been talking to the 50-year-old man just after 11 a.m. when he "became emotionally distraught and reacted ... and was overwhelmed by the news of his mother's condition." The man was initially identified as Warren Davis, but police later said that was an alias. His real name was Paul Warren Pardus of Arlington, Va.

Bealefeld said he did not know what the woman was being treated for at the world-class facility, known for its cancer research and treatment.

Pardus then pulled a semiautomatic handgun from his waistband shot the doctor once in the abdomen, the commissioner said. The doctor collapsed outside room 873 of the Nelson building, where Pardus' mother, Jean Davis, was being treated. Pardus then holed up inside his mother's room for more than two hours during a standoff with authorities.

When officers made their way to the eighth-floor room, they found Pardus dead on the floor and his mother dead in her hospital bed.

Two Hopkins employees said the physician who was wounded is Dr. David B. Cohen, an assistant professor and orthopedic surgeon. The employees asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to discuss the matter. Police said the doctor underwent surgery and was expected to survive.

Michelle Burrell, who works in a coffee shop in the hospital lobby, said she was told by employees who were on the floor where the doctor was shot that the gunman was angry with the doctor's treatment of his mother.

"It's crazy," she said.

Hannah Murtaugh, 25, a first-year nursing student at the facility's nursing school, said her physiology class was put on lockdown. She said a classmate received a security alert text message from the school saying a gunman was on the Nelson building's eighth floor.

Her professor interrupted the lecture to let students know about the situation.

"They just kept telling us to stay away from the windows. We think there was a sniper located below our classroom," Murtaugh said.

"I was scared - wondering if any of my friends or other students who had clinicals that day were on that floor, hoping the situation would be contained, trying to see what was going on while staying away from the windows."

She said security personnel helped keep everyone calm, making sure doors were locked and reviewing what could be done if the gunman was on the loose.

A small area of the hospital had been locked down before the gunman died, as about a dozen officers wearing vests and helmets and carrying assault weapons prepared to go into the hospital at midday.

The Nelson building is the main hospital tower. According to the Hopkins website, the eighth floor is home to orthopedic, spine, trauma and thoracic services.

The rest of the massive hospital, research and medical education complex remained open, including the emergency department.

With more than 30,000 employees, Johns Hopkins Medicine is among Maryland's largest private employers and the largest in Baltimore. The hospital has more than 1,000 beds and more than 1,700 full-time doctors.

Mideast peace talks round concludes with no deal

Mideast peace talks round concludes with no deal

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, right, shake hands as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands in the center, at his residence in Jerusalem, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010. Clinton is in the region for Mideast peace talks.

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Palestinian militants and Israeli forces attacked each other Wednesday, forming a grim backdrop for the latest round of U.S.-driven peace negotiations. The talks ended with no agreement on the most pressing issue: Jewish settlements.

Former Sen. George Mitchell, the U.S. envoy for Mideast peace efforts, emerged from an evening session between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to say the talks had been encouraging but fell short of a breakthrough.

"A serious and substantive discussion is well under way," Mitchell told a news conference.

The leaders met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for about two hours and agreed to continue the search for a peace deal, he said. But it was not clear when they would reconvene. Lower-level officials will meet next week to work out a plan for the next meeting between Netanyahu and Abbas, Mitchell said.

Mitchell said no one should expect an easy road ahead, but he contended important progress was being made.

"The two leaders are not leaving the tough issues to the end of their discussions; they are tackling upfront - and did so this evening - the issues that are at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he said. "We take this as a strong indicator of their belief that peace is possible and of their desire to conclude an agreement."

Police: Eiffel Tower evacuated over bomb threat

Police: Eiffel Tower evacuated over bomb threat

Police officers stand in front of the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, Tuesday Sept. 14, 2010. Paris' Eiffel Tower and its immediate surroundings were evacuated Tuesday evening after an anonymous caller phoned in a bomb threat. About 2,000 people were cleared from the 324 meter (1,063-ft.) monument on the banks of the Seine River, and police were checking it for suspicious objects.

PARIS (AP) -- Paris' Eiffel Tower and its immediate surroundings underneath were evacuated Tuesday evening after an anonymous caller phoned in a bomb threat, the French capital's police headquarters said.

French media reported that a second tourist hub - the Saint-Michel subway station near Notre Dame Cathedral - had also been evacuated following a similar threat.

A Paris police spokesman said he had no information about the reports on the Saint-Michel station, which was the target of a terrorist attack in 1995 that killed eight and injured scores of people.

Across town, about 2,000 people were cleared from the 324-meter (1,063-foot) Eiffel Tower on the banks of the Seine River, and police were checking it for suspicious objects, the spokesman at the police headquarters said. He declined to give his name, citing department policy.

Eiffel Tower security services made the decision to clear out tourists and workers following the threat, the spokesman said.

Despite the scare at the tower, tourists and curious Parisians continued to mill around the surrounding sidewalks, and traffic continued to circulate nearby. Several police trucks were posted under the tower, and officers stood guard.

The tower is France's most popular monument, and 6.6 million people visited it last year.

Bomb scares are frequent in Paris, and the city has experienced terrorism firsthand. Algerian Islamic insurgents bombed the Saint-Michel station on July 25, 1995, killing eight people and injuring 150.

It was the first attack in a campaign of violence that terrorized Paris subway commuters for a time. Gas cooking canisters loaded with nails, sometimes hidden in garbage cans, were used in many of the bombings.

Boehner says he'd support a middle-class tax cut

Boehner says he'd support a middle-class tax cut

FILE - In this April 14, 2010 file photo, House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, left, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., talk to reporters outside the White House in Washington. Boehner could walk down most U.S. streets anonymously. But the perpetually tanned golf lover, who grew up in a Cincinnati family of 14, could become the next House speaker and the GOP leader of opposition to President Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Minority Leader John Boehner says he would vote for President Obama's plan to extend tax cuts only for middle-class earners, not the wealthy, if that were the only option available to House Republicans.

Boehner, R-Ohio, said it is "bad policy" to exclude the highest-earning Americans from tax relief during the recession. But he said he wouldn't block the breaks for middle-income individuals and families if Democrats won't support the full package.

Income tax cuts passed under President George W. Bush will expire at the end of this year unless Congress acts and Obama signs the bill. Obama said he would support continuing the lower tax rates for couples earning up to $250,000 or single taxpayers making up to $200,000. But he and the Democratic leadership in Congress refused to back continued lower rates for the fewer than 3 percent of Americans who make more than that.

The cost of extending the tax cuts for everyone for the next 10 years would approach $4 trillion, according to congressional estimates. Eliminating the breaks for the top earners would reduce that bill by about $700 billion.

Boehner's comments signaled a possible break in the logjam that has prevented passage of a tax bill, although Republicans would still force Democrats to vote on their bigger tax-cut package in the final weeks before the November congressional elections.

"I want to do something for all Americans who pay taxes," Boehner said in an interview taped Saturday for "Face the Nation" on CBS. "If the only option I have is to vote for some of those tax reductions, I'll vote for it. ... If that's what we can get done, but I think that's bad policy. I don't think that's going to help our economy."

Austan Goolsbee, new chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said on ABC's "This Week" that he hopes that Democratic lawmakers who also want an across-the-board extension will join Obama and others in the party in supporting legislation aimed at the middle class before the November elections.

In response to Boehner's comments, Goolsbee said, "If he's for that, I would be happy."

With congressional elections less than two months away, both parties have been working to score points with voters generally unhappy with Congress. Democrats are bearing the brunt of voter anger over a stubborn recession, a weak job market and a high-spending government, giving the GOP an opening for taking back control of the House and possibly the Senate.

Democratic leaders would relish putting up a bill that extends only the middle-class tax cuts and then daring Republicans to oppose it. In response, GOP lawmakers probably would try to force votes on amendments to extend all the tax cuts, arguing that it would be a boost to the economy, and then point to those who rejected them.

The tax-cut argument between Obama and Republican lawmakers focuses on whether the debt-ridden country can afford to continue Bush's tax breaks, which were designed to expire next year. Republicans contend that cutting back on government spending ought to be the focus of efforts aimed at beginning to balance the federal budget.

If Republicans regain control of the House, they would remove Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California as speaker, a position that is second in line to the presidency after the vice president. Boehner would be the most likely successor, and he already is the focus of criticism from the Democrats' re-election campaign.

Obama himself has been leading the charge against Boehner, traveling last week to the Republican minority leader's home state to accuse him of offering little but stale ideas that led to the economic meltdown.

In keeping with that tactic, the Democratic National Committee said Sunday it plans to begin airing an ad Tuesday in Washington and on national cable that portrays Boehner as a supporter of tax cuts for the wealthy and a foe of spending for teachers, police officers and firefighters.

"Boehner has a different plan," the ad states. "Tax cuts for businesses and those that shift jobs and profits overseas. Saving multinational corporations 10 billion."

At a White House news conference Friday, Obama described the Republican proposal for a tax extension for the highest of earners as an effort "to give an average of $100,000 to millionaires." Instead, he said, both parties should move forward on their areas of agreement.

Boehner says he'd support a middle-class tax cut

Boehner says he'd support a middle-class tax cut

FILE - In this April 14, 2010 file photo, House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, left, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., talk to reporters outside the White House in Washington. Boehner could walk down most U.S. streets anonymously. But the perpetually tanned golf lover, who grew up in a Cincinnati family of 14, could become the next House speaker and the GOP leader of opposition to President Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Minority Leader John Boehner says he would vote for President Obama's plan to extend tax cuts only for middle-class earners, not the wealthy, if that were the only option available to House Republicans.

Boehner, R-Ohio, said it is "bad policy" to exclude the highest-earning Americans from tax relief during the recession. But he said he wouldn't block the breaks for middle-income individuals and families if Democrats won't support the full package.

Income tax cuts passed under President George W. Bush will expire at the end of this year unless Congress acts and Obama signs the bill. Obama said he would support continuing the lower tax rates for couples earning up to $250,000 or single taxpayers making up to $200,000. But he and the Democratic leadership in Congress refused to back continued lower rates for the fewer than 3 percent of Americans who make more than that.

The cost of extending the tax cuts for everyone for the next 10 years would approach $4 trillion, according to congressional estimates. Eliminating the breaks for the top earners would reduce that bill by about $700 billion.

Boehner's comments signaled a possible break in the logjam that has prevented passage of a tax bill, although Republicans would still force Democrats to vote on their bigger tax-cut package in the final weeks before the November congressional elections.

"I want to do something for all Americans who pay taxes," Boehner said in an interview taped Saturday for "Face the Nation" on CBS. "If the only option I have is to vote for some of those tax reductions, I'll vote for it. ... If that's what we can get done, but I think that's bad policy. I don't think that's going to help our economy."

Austan Goolsbee, new chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said on ABC's "This Week" that he hopes that Democratic lawmakers who also want an across-the-board extension will join Obama and others in the party in supporting legislation aimed at the middle class before the November elections.

In response to Boehner's comments, Goolsbee said, "If he's for that, I would be happy."

With congressional elections less than two months away, both parties have been working to score points with voters generally unhappy with Congress. Democrats are bearing the brunt of voter anger over a stubborn recession, a weak job market and a high-spending government, giving the GOP an opening for taking back control of the House and possibly the Senate.

Democratic leaders would relish putting up a bill that extends only the middle-class tax cuts and then daring Republicans to oppose it. In response, GOP lawmakers probably would try to force votes on amendments to extend all the tax cuts, arguing that it would be a boost to the economy, and then point to those who rejected them.

The tax-cut argument between Obama and Republican lawmakers focuses on whether the debt-ridden country can afford to continue Bush's tax breaks, which were designed to expire next year. Republicans contend that cutting back on government spending ought to be the focus of efforts aimed at beginning to balance the federal budget.

If Republicans regain control of the House, they would remove Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California as speaker, a position that is second in line to the presidency after the vice president. Boehner would be the most likely successor, and he already is the focus of criticism from the Democrats' re-election campaign.

Obama himself has been leading the charge against Boehner, traveling last week to the Republican minority leader's home state to accuse him of offering little but stale ideas that led to the economic meltdown.

In keeping with that tactic, the Democratic National Committee said Sunday it plans to begin airing an ad Tuesday in Washington and on national cable that portrays Boehner as a supporter of tax cuts for the wealthy and a foe of spending for teachers, police officers and firefighters.

"Boehner has a different plan," the ad states. "Tax cuts for businesses and those that shift jobs and profits overseas. Saving multinational corporations 10 billion."

At a White House news conference Friday, Obama described the Republican proposal for a tax extension for the highest of earners as an effort "to give an average of $100,000 to millionaires." Instead, he said, both parties should move forward on their areas of agreement.

9/11 – Minute by Minute

KYW Newsradio 1060 replays our coverage of the events from September 11th, 2001.

Hear what was happening in the Delaware Valley and the rest of the nation exactly nine years ago at this very moment.

For full audio go to: http://kyw.cbslocal.com/

Remembering a Local Hero on 9/11

A special event at West Chester University this afternoon as a statue is unveiled prior to the school’s football game with Edinboro, honoring a former Golden ram football player who was killed nine years ago on 9/11.

KYW’s Matt Leon reports Michael Horrocks (photo) was a star quarterback at West Chester in the early 80′s. After graduation, he joined the marines and eventually became a pilot. He was in fact the co-pilot of United Flight 175 — the plane that was hi-jacked and crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center.

John Minnino is a former teammate of Horrocks, and part of the group that has worked tirelessly to make this statue, and day, a reality:

For full story go to: http://kyw.cbslocal.com/

Obama cites national unity after Sept. 11 attacks

Obama cites national unity after Sept. 11 attacks

The World Trade Center site is shown, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, on the ninth anniversary of the attacks of 2001.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama marked the Sept. 11 anniversary by looking back with pride at how the country "responded to the worst of depravity with the best of our humanity" and embraced a sense of national unity.

"We are one nation - one people - bound not only by grief, but by a set of common ideals," the president said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address, aired hours attending a memorial service at the Pentagon, where he joined in a moment of silence with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This year's remembrances of the 2001 attacks took place with growing public suspicion of Muslims, an emotional dispute over an Islamic community center and mosque planned near ground zero in New York City, and a Florida pastor's threat to burn Qurans.

"This is a time of difficulty for our country," Obama said. "And it is often in such moments that some try to stoke bitterness - to divide us based on our differences, to blind us to what we have in common.

"But on this day, we are reminded that at our best, we do not give in to this temptation," Obama said.

At a White House news conference Friday, Obama denounced the threatened Quran burning, said Muslims have the same right as any other religion to build near ground zero and appealed for religious tolerance. "We are not at war against Islam," he said.

Meanwhile, the Rev. Terry Jones backed away from his plan to burn the Muslim holy book, saying on NBC's "Today" show Saturday that "God is telling us to stop."

In the GOP's weekly address, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., echoed Obama's plea for a common purpose. Kyl called for the country to "recapture the unity that allowed us to come together as a nation to confront a determined enemy."

Without mentioning the president by name, Kyl seemed to question the Obama administration's commitment to the fight against terrorism begun by President George W. Bush. Obama recently declared an end to combat missions in Iraq even as he pledged to renew war-fighting efforts in Afghanistan and pursue al-Qaida terrorists.

"The fact that none of the subsequent attempts to attack us have succeeded seems to have removed some of the urgency and commitment so necessary to succeed in war," Kyl said.

Obama assails GOP, promotes new jobs program

Obama assails GOP, promotes new jobs program

President Barack Obama waves to media as he walks across the South Lawn of the White House after stepping off of Marine One in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010.

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A combative President Barack Obama rolled out a long-term jobs program Monday that will exceed $50 billion to rebuild roads, railways and runways, and coupled it with a blunt campaign-season assault on Republicans for causing Americans' hard economic times.

GOP leaders instantly assailed Obama's proposal, which is also likely to be met with reluctance by many Democrats to approve additional spending and higher federal deficits just weeks before elections that will determine control of Congress.

That means the plan has low odds of becoming law this year. Administration officials said that even quick congressional approval would not produce jobs until sometime next year, raising questions about what, if any, pre-election impact it would have beyond showing job-hungry voters that the White House is trying to ease unemployment.

In remarks prepared for delivery to a Labor Day speech in Milwaukee, the president said Republicans are betting that between now and Election Day on Nov. 2, Americans will forget the Republican economic policies that led to the current recession.

"These are the folks whose policies helped devastate our middle class and drive our economy into a ditch. And now they're asking you for the keys back," Obama said.

Republicans made it clear that Obama can expect no help from them.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said the plan "should be met with justifiable skepticism" because it would raise taxes, while Americans are "still looking for the 'shovel-ready' jobs they were promised more than a year ago" in the $814 billion economic stimulus measure.

The House Republican leader, John Boehner of Ohio, added "We don't need more government 'stimulus' spending. We need to end Washington Democrats' out-of-control spending spree, stop their tax hikes, and create jobs by eliminating the job-killing uncertainty that is hampering our small businesses."

Administration officials said the initial $50 billion would be the beginning of a six-year program of transportation improvements, but they did not give an overall figure. The proposal has a longer-range focus than last year's economic stimulus bill, which was more targeted on immediate job creation.

Future hiring will mainly benefit the high-skilled

Future hiring will mainly benefit the high-skilled

Whenever companies start hiring freely again, job-seekers with specialized skills and education will have plenty of good opportunities. Others will face a choice: Take a job with low pay - or none at all.

Job creation will likely remain weak for months or even years. But once employers do step up hiring, some economists expect job openings to fall mainly into two categories of roughly equal numbers:

- Professional fields with higher pay. Think lawyers, research scientists and software engineers.

- Lower-skill and lower-paying jobs, like home health care aides and store clerks.

And those in between? Their outlook is bleaker. Economists foresee fewer moderately paid factory supervisors, postal workers and office administrators.

That's the sobering message American workers face as they celebrate Labor Day at a time of high unemployment, scant hiring and a widespread loss of job security. Not until 2014 or later is the nation expected to have regained all, or nearly all, the 8.4 million jobs lost to the recession. Millions of lost jobs in real estate, for example, aren't likely to be restored this decade, if ever.

On Friday, the government said the August unemployment rate ticked up to 9.6 percent. Not enough jobs were created to absorb the growing number of people seeking work. The unemployment rate has exceeded 9 percent for 16 months, the longest such stretch in nearly 30 years.

The crisis poses a threat to President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress, whose hold on the House and Senate appears to be at increasing risk because of voter discontent.

Even when the job market picks up, many people will be left behind. The threat stems, in part, from the economy's continuing shift from one driven by manufacturing to one fueled by service industries.

Pay for future service-sector jobs will tend to vary from very high to very low. At the same time, the number of middle-income service-sector jobs will shrink, according to government projections. Any job that can be automated or outsourced overseas is likely to continue to decline.

The service sector's growth could also magnify the nation's income inequality, with more people either affluent or financially squeezed. The nation isn't educating enough people for the higher-skilled service-sector jobs of the future, economists warn.

"There will be jobs," says Lawrence Katz, a Harvard economist. "The big question is what they are going to pay, and what kind of lives they will allow people to lead? This will be a big issue for how broad a middle class we are going to have."

On one point there's broad agreement: Of 8 million-plus jobs lost to the recession - in fields like manufacturing, real estate and financial services - many, perhaps most, aren't coming back.

In their place will be jobs in health care, information technology and statistical analysis. Some of the new positions will require complex skills or higher education. Others won't - but they won't pay very much, either.

"Our occupational structure is really becoming bifurcated," says Richard Florida, a professor at University of Toronto. "We're becoming more of a divided nation by the work we do."

By 2018, the government forecasts a net total of 15.3 million new jobs. If that proves true, unemployment would drop far closer to a historical norm of 5 percent.

Nearly all the new jobs will be in the service sector, the Labor Department says. The nation's 78 million baby boomers will need more health care services as they age, for example. Demand for medical jobs will rise. And innovations in high technology and alternative energy are likely to spur growth in occupations that don't yet exist.

Hiring can't come fast enough for the 14.9 million unemployed Americans. Counting part-time employees who would prefer full-time jobs, plus out-of-work people who have stopped looking for jobs, the number of "underemployed" is 26.2 million.

Manufacturing has shed 2 million jobs since the recession began. Construction has lost 1.9 million, financial services 651,000.

But the biggest factor has been the bust in real estate. The vanished jobs range from construction workers and furniture makers to loan officers, appraisers and material suppliers. Moody's Analytics estimates the total number of housing-related jobs lost at 2.4 million. When you include commercial real estate, the number is far higher.

One of them is Martha Escobar, who last month lost her $13.50-an-hour job cleaning an office tower owned by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Century City, Calif. She was one of 16 janitors, mostly single mothers, who lost jobs as part of the real estate crunch that's squeezed landlords.

Some of them traveled to New York on Thursday to try to pressure JPMorgan to get its cleaning contractor to take them back, given that the bank earned $8.1 billion during the first half of this year.

"I don't know what I am going to do if I can't get my job back," Escobar, 41, said.

JPMorgan Chase spokesman Gary Kishner said the bank has no say over the layoffs, which he said are handled by the building's cleaning contractor.

On top of real estate-related job losses, manufacturing is likely to keep shedding jobs, sending lower-skilled work overseas. Millions who worked in those fields will need to find jobs in higher-skilled or lower-paying occupations.

"The big fear is the country is simply not preparing workers for the kind of skills that the country is going to need," says Gautam Godhwani, CEO of SimplyHired.com, which tracks job listings.

Sectors likely to grow fastest, according to economists and government projections, are:

- HEALTH CARE

The sector is expected to be the leading job generator, adding 4 million by 2018, according to Labor Department data. An aging population requires more doctors and nurses, physical therapists, home health aides and pharmacists.

Many of these jobs will pay well. Physical therapists averaged about $76,000 last year, according to the department's data. Others pay far less. Home health care aides earned an average of just $21,600.

Home health care and personal care aides are expected to add about 900,000 jobs by 2018 - 50 percent more than in 2008.

Jennifer Gamboa of Body Dynamics Inc., an Arlington, Va.-based physical therapy firm, says the drive to reduce health care costs should benefit her profession, which can treat pain less expensively than surgery. Gamboa plans to add two employees in the next year.

- INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Technology could be an economic elixir as computers and online networks expand ways to automate services, distribute media and communicate.

Companies will need people to build and secure those networks. That should boost the number of programmers, network administrators and security specialists by 45 percent to 2.1 million by 2018, the government forecasts. Most of these jobs will provide above-average pay.

Technology pay averaged $84,400 in 2008 - nearly double the average private-sector pay of $45,400, according to an analysis of the most recent full-year data by the TechAmerica Foundation, a research group.

- NEW INDUSTRIES: Deepak Advani, an IBM executive, has a title he says didn't exist five years ago: "Vice president of predictive analytics."

Companies and government agencies have amassed data on behavior ranging from shopping habits to criminal activity. Predictive analytics is the art of determining what to do with that data. How should workers' time be deployed? How best to target customers? Such jobs could grow 20 percent by 2018, the government predicts.

Still, economists say more will be needed to boost job growth. The answer may be some technological breakthrough akin to the personal computer or the Internet.

"Most big booms come from a particular sector that moves the rest of the economy," said Richard Freeman, a Harvard labor economist.

Technology spurred job growth after the 1982 and 1991 recessions. The PC became revolutionary in the early 1980s. Internet use exploded after the Mosaic Web browser was introduced in 1994. Housing eventually lifted employment after the 2001 dot-com bust.

"There's a lack of clarity on what the next big thing is going to be this time," said David Card, an economics professor at the University of California.

Until there is, many people will have to lower expectations and living standards as they enter fields with less pay and less job stability, said Dan Finnigan, CEO of online employment service Jobvite.

"People who are unemployed have to embrace this future that they are going to have many jobs," he said. "We will always be working on the next gig."

BP raises blowout preventer, key evidence in probe

BP raises blowout preventer, key evidence in probe

In this image taken from video provided by BP PLC at 12:23 a.m. EDT, Saturday Sept. 4, 2010 Aug. 3, 2010 shows the blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from spewing into the Gulf of Mexico being raised to the surface. The blowout preventer wasn't expected to reach the surface until Saturday, at which point government investigators will take possession of it.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- BP crews worked Saturday to slowly raise the 300-ton blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, careful not to damage or drop a key piece of evidence in the spill investigation.

When the blowout preventer reaches the surface after its mile-long journey, government investigators will take possession of it and eventually examine it, hoping to gain insight into why the device failed.

A BP PLC spokesman said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the 50-foot device was detached from the wellhead Friday afternoon. Another blowout preventer had successfully been placed on the blown-out well, the government said later.

The April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon killed 11 workers and led to 206 million gallons of oil spewing from BP's undersea well.

Investigators know the explosion was triggered by a bubble of methane gas that escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through several seals and barriers before igniting.

But they don't know exactly how or why the gas escaped. And they don't know why the blowout preventer didn't seal the well pipe at the sea bottom after the eruption, as it was supposed to. While the device didn't close - or may have closed partially - hearings have produced no clear picture of why it didn't plug the well.

Lawyers will be watching closely, as hundreds of lawsuits have been filed over the oil spill. Future liabilities faced by a number of corporations could be riding on what the analysis of the blowout preventer shows.

The raising of the blowout preventer followed Thursday's removal of a temporary cap that stopped oil from gushing into the Gulf in mid-July. No more oil was expected to leak into the sea, but crews were standing by with collection vessels just in case.

The government wanted to replace the failed blowout preventer first to deal with any pressure that is caused when a relief well BP has been drilling intersects the blown-out well.

Once that intersection occurs sometime after Labor Day, BP is expected to use mud and cement to plug the blown-out well for good from the bottom.