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ByConnieCass TheAssociatedPress WASHINGTON Fending off demands to ban travel from Ebola-stricken West Africa, the Obama admin- istration instead tight- ened the nation's defenses against Ebola by requiring that all arrivals from the disease-ravaged zone pass through one of five U.S. air- ports. The move responds to pressure from some Con- gress members and the public to impose a travel ban on the three coun- tries at the heart of the Ebola outbreak, which has killed over 4,500 people, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, since it emerged 10 months ago. Beginning Wednesday, people whose trips began in Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone must fly into one of the five U.S. airports per- forming fever checks for Ebola, the Homeland Se- curity Department said. Previously, the admin- istration said screenings at those airports covered about 94 percent of fli- ers from the three coun- tries but missed a few who landed elsewhere. There are no direct flights from those nations into the U.S; about 150 fli- ers per day arrive by vari- ous multi-leg routes. Homeland Security Sec- retary Jeh Johnson said "we currently have in place measures to identify and screen anyone at all land, sea and air ports of entry into the United States who we have reason to believe has been present in Libe- ria, Sierra Leone or Guinea in the preceding 21 days." Since screening started Oct. 11 at New York's Ken- nedy airport, 562 people have been checked at the five airports, according to Homeland Security. Of those, four who arrived at Washington's Dulles air- port were taken to a local hospital. No cases of Ebola have been discovered. The other airports are Newark's Liberty, Chica- go's O'Hare and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson. Homeland Security of- ficials at the airports use no-touch thermometers to check for fever, which can be a symptom of Ebola in- fection. People who have been infected with the vi- rus may not develop a fe- ver and illness for up to 21 days, however. As the U.S. closed a gap in its Ebola screening, an Ebola-free African country said it would begin check- ing visiting Americans for the disease. Rwanda's health minis- ter said Tuesday that trav- elers who have been in the United States or Spain — the two countries outside of West Africa that have seen transmission during the Ebola outbreak — will be checked upon arrival and must report on their health during their stay. No Ebola cases have been reported in Rwanda, which is in East Africa. The U.S. Embassy in Rwanda said that country is ban- ning visitors who have re- cently traveled to Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone, the three countries at the heart of the outbreak, as well as nearby Senegal, which had a single case The change in U.S. pol- icy falls short of demands by some elected officials and candidates for a ban on travel from the West Af- rican outbreak zone. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described the action as an "added layer of protection against Ebola entering our country." The change comes as the Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention works to spread the word about its new protective guide- lines for medical workers. The advice, released Mon- day night, had been sought by health workers after two Dallas nurses were infected while caring for a Liberian traveler, the first person di- agnosed with the virus in the United States. The CDC said it's still unclear exactly how the nurses were infected, but the stronger rules will pro- vide better protection. CDC officials demonstrated the recommended techniques Tuesday at a training ses- sion for several thousand health care workers in New York City. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged health-care workers there to use their training to educate their families and communities. "Keep the anxiety down. Keep the fear down," he said. Earlier CDC guidelines allowed hospitals some flexibility to use available covering when dealing with suspected Ebola pa- tients. The new guidelines set a firmer standard, call- ing for full-body garb and hoods that protect work- er's necks; setting rigor- ous rules for removal of equipment and disinfec- tion of hands; and calling for a "site manager" to su- pervise the putting on and taking off of equipment. They also call for health workers who may be in- volved in an Ebola patient's care to repeatedly practice and demonstrate profi- ciency in donning and doff- ing gear — before ever be- ing allowed near a patient. FIVE AIRPORTS USexpandsEbolachecks CHARLESREXARBOGAST—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Registered nurse Keene Roadman, stands fully dressed in personal protective equipment during a training class at the Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines Monday for how health workers should gear up to treat Ebola patients. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS This photo taken shows scaffolding around the Capitol Dome in Washington. Control of the Senate is at stake in the midterm elections. By Jennifer Agiesta The Associated Press WASHINGTON Two weeks before Election Day, most of the nation's likely voters now expect the Republican Party to take control of the U.S. Senate, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. And by a growing mar- gin, they say that's the out- come they'd like to see. But the survey suggests many will cringe when they cast those ballots. Most likely voters have a nega- tive impression of the Re- publican Party, and 7 in 10 are dissatisfied by its lead- ers in Congress. The Democrats win few accolades themselves. Im- pressions of the party among likely voters have grown more negative in the past month. In fact, Demo- crats are more trusted than the GOP on just two of nine top issues, the poll showed. The economy remains the top issue for likely vot- ers — 91 percent call it "ex- tremely" or "very" impor- tant. And the GOP has in- creased its advantage as the party more trusted to han- dle the issue to a margin of 39 percent to 31 percent. With control of the Sen- ate at stake, both parties say they are relying on ro- bust voter-turnout opera- tions — and monster cam- paign spending — to lift their candidates in the fi- nal days. But the poll sug- gests any appeals they've made so far haven't done much to boost turnout among those already reg- istered. The share who re- port that they are certain to vote in this year's contests has risen just slightly since September, and interest in news about the campaign has held steady. Among all adults, 38 per- cent say they'd like the Dem- ocrats to wind up in control of Congress, to 36 percent for the Republicans. But the GOP holds a significant lead among those most likely to cast ballots: 47 percent of these voters favor a Republi- can controlled-Congress, 39 percent a Democratic one. That's a shift in the GOP's favor since an AP-GfK poll in late September, when the two parties ran about evenly among likely voters. Women have moved in the GOP's direction since September. In last month's AP-GfK poll, 47 percent of female likely voters said they favored a Democratic- controlled Congress while 40 percent wanted the Re- publicans to capture con- trol. In the new poll, the two parties are about even among women. Poll shows most expect GOP victory LIKELY VOTERS By Lara Jakes The Associated Press WASHINGTON American detainee Jeffrey Fowle has been released from North Korea, nearly six months after he was taken into custody on charges of leav- ing a Bible in a nightclub, the State Department said Tuesday. Two other Amer- icans who have been tried and convicted of crimes in North Korea are still be- ing held. Fowle, 56, of Miamis- burg, Ohio, had been await- ing trial on charges of leav- ing a Bible at a nightclub in the northern port city of Chongjin last May. He was flown out of North Korea on a U.S. government jet that was spotted Tuesday at Pyongyang's interna- tional airport. The Swed- ish government helped ne- gotiate Fowle's release. White House spokes- man Josh Earnest said it was a positive decision by North Korea to release Fowle. He urged Pyong- yang to release the other Americans, Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller. "The U.S. will continue to work actively on them," he said. Washington announced Fowle's release even be- fore his family's attorney had been notified. "We are overwhelmed with excite- ment but still want com- plete confirmation," attor- ney Timothy N. Tepe said in a statement. Earnest said the Defense Department had provided transportation to Fowle on a schedule that the North had specified. He said Swe- den had helped facilitate Fowle's release. SIX MONTHS One American released from North Korea By Diaa Hadid The Associated Press BEIRUT Islamic State group fighters seized at least one cache of weap- ons airdropped by U.S.-led coalition forces that were meant to supply Kurdish militiamen battling the ex- tremist group in a border town, activists said Tues- day. The cache of weapons in- cluded hand grenades, am- munition and rocket-pro- pelled grenade launchers, according to a video up- loaded by a media group loyal to the Islamic State group. The video appeared au- thentic and corresponded to The Associated Press' reporting of the event. The Britain-based Syrian Obser- vatory for Human Rights, which bases its informa- tion on a network of activ- ists on the ground, said the militants had seized at least one cache. The caches were air- dropped early on Monday to Kurds in the embattled Syrian town of Kobani that lies near the Turkish bor- der. The militant group has been trying to seize the town for over a month now, causing the exodus of some 200,000 people from the area into Turkey. While Kurds are battling on the ground, a U.S.-led coalition is also targeting the mili- tants from the air. On Tuesday, IS loyalists on social media posted sar- castic thank you notes to the United States, including one image that said "Team USA." But the lost weapons drop was more an embar- rassment than a great stra- tegic loss. The Islamic State militants already possess millions of dollars-worth of U.S. weaponry that they captured from fleeing Iraqi soldiers when the group seized swaths of Iraq in a sudden sweep in June. On Tuesday, the U.S. Cen- tral Command said U.S. military forces conducted four airstrikes near Kobani that destroyed IS fighting positions, an IS building and a large IS unit. Also Tuesday, Syrian government airstrikes hit a rebel-held town along the country's southern border with Jordan, killing at least eight people. Activists with the Local Coordination Committees and the Observatory said the number of those killed was likely to rise as there are more victims under the rubble. The LCC said Syrian gov- ernment planes dropped crude explosives-laden can- isters on the town of Nasib on the Syria-Jordan border. The airstrikes are part of battles between Syrian gov- ernment forces and Islamic rebel groups for control of the area. Syrian government forces have been heavily bombing rebel areas in re- cent weeks, while the U.S- led coalition has been con- ducting airstrikes against Islamic State militants else- where in Syria. GRENADES, AMMUNITON IS fi gh te rs s ei ze w ea po ns m ea nt f or K ur ds LEFTERIS PITARAKIS — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Syrian Kurdish fighter Delkhwaz Sheikh Ahmad, 22, sits with his wife Siham, 23, and their two sons in Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border, as he prepares to leave for Kobani, Syria, to rejoin the fighting, Friday. C & C PROPERTIES An Independently owned and operated Member of Coldwell Banker Residential Affiliates. 741 Main Street, Suite #2 Red Bluff, CA 96080 1-800-287-2187 (530) 527-2187 FOR 24/7 PROPERTY INFO CALL 1-888-902-7253 TEHAMA COUNTY REAL ESTATE TEAM • OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.redbluffcoldwellbanker.com See All Tehama County Listings at Our knowledgeable and professional staff of Realtors are here to assist you with all your Real Estate needs. *18 Months to 3 Years for Short Sales / 4 – 7 Years for Foreclosures. If you were involved in a Foreclosure or Short Sale between 2007 – 2012, YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR HOME OWNERSHIP AGAIN. 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