Queen of Pop passes away in L.A.
Whitney Houston, successful pop superstar, died on Saturday, Feb. 11 in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 48 years old.
Paramedics spent close to 20 minutes trying to revive Houston, the authorities said. There was no immediate word on the cause of her death.
Houston was staying at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Saturday to attend a pre-Grammy party.
Houston emerged in the 1980s as a great R&B voice, only to have it deteriorate through years of cocaine use and an abusive marriage.
Read the original story on NYTimes.com | Feb. 11, 2012
Austerity measures come after greek riots
Whitney Houston, successful pop superstar, died on Saturday, Feb. 11 in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 48 years old.
Paramedics spent close to 20 minutes trying to revive Houston, the authorities said. There was no immediate word on the cause of her death.
Houston was staying at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Saturday to attend a pre-Grammy party.
Houston emerged in the 1980s as a great R&B voice, only to have it deteriorate through years of cocaine use and an abusive marriage.
Read the original story on NYTimes.com | Feb. 12, 2012
Concerns of social safety nets continue to be an issue
Government safety nets were created to keep Americans from falling below the poverty line but many poor households no longer receive a majority of government benefits due to shortfalls in the system.
The share of benefits flowing to the least affluent households, the bottom fifth, has declined from 54 percent in 1979 to 36 percent in 2007, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis published last year.
Read the original story on NYTimes.com | Feb. 11, 2012
Cuts in military spending are part of Obama’s budget plan
President Obama’s final budget request of his term indicates that Obama wants a second term.
Obama’s plan calls for tax increases on the rich and cuts in military, both to reduce deficits and to pay for priorities like education, public works, research and clean energy.
The budget request for the 2013 fiscal year, starting Oct. 1, shows that Obama wants to switch from short-term budget fixes to long-term solutions.
Read the original story on NYTimes.com | Feb. 13, 2012
Many voter registration rolls are inaccurate
According to a report released Tuesday, Feb. 14 by the Pew Center on the States, the nation’s voter registration rolls are incredibly inaccurate.
The report said that about 1.8 million dead people are listed as active voters.
“Part of the problem is that it is difficult for us to be proactive,” Linda Lamone, Maryland’s administrator of elections, said.
Read the original story on NYTimes.com | Feb. 14, 2012
Philadelphia Gas Works to be sold off by city
Mayor Michael Nutter announced plans to sell the country’s largest city-owned gas utility after a study by Lazard Fréres & Co. L.L.C. released yesterday, Feb. 13, revealed that selling PGW to a private entity would be good for the city.
The sale of PGW has been an idea that was bounced around by previous mayoral administrations.
Read the original story on philly.edu | Feb. 14, 2012
Cabrini will host 2012 Science Olympiad
More than 1,600 young scientists will present their inventions and test their science knowledge in 47 events at the 2012 Southeastern Pennsylvania Science Olympiad Regional Competition on Monday, March 5.
Students from 79 schools in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties will compete for medals in two age groups (grades 6-9 and grades 9-12).
Last year, 70 schools competed in the regional Olympiad at Cabrini.
Read the original story on cabrini.edu | Feb. 13, 2012
PATCO rail ridership increases, traffic in New Jersey decreases
PATCO rail ridership reached an 11-year high last year, while vehicle traffic fell to an 11-year low on the four toll bridges operated by the Delaware River Port Authority.
Higher bridge tolls, rising gasoline prices and a depressed economy all helped account for the shift, transportation experts said.
