Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/241426
4B Daily News – Tuesday, January 14, 2014 WORLD BRIEFING because they couldn't obtain medical aid, residents said. ''There are no more people in Yarmouk, only skeletons with yellow skin,'' said 27-year-old resident Umm Hassan, the mother of two toddlers. Older adults outnumber young in health care signups WASHINGTON (AP) — It's an older, costlier crowd that's signing up so far for health insurance under President Barack Obama's law, according to government figures released Monday. Enrollments are lower for the healthy, younger Americans who will be needed to keep premiums from rising. Young adults from 18 to 34 are only 24 percent of total enrollment, the administration said in its first signup figures broken down for age, gender and other details. With the HealthCare.gov website now working, the figures cover the more than 2 million Americans who had signed up for government-subsidized private insurance through the end of December in new federal and state markets. Enrolling young and healthy people is important because they generally pay more into the system than they take out, subsidizing older adults. While 24 percent is not a bad start, say independent experts, it should be closer to 40 percent to help keep premiums down. Adults ages 55-64 were the most heavily represented in the signups, accounting for 33 percent of the total. Overall, the premiums paid by people in that demographic don't fully cover their medical expenses. Some are in the waiting room for Medicare; that coverage starts at age 65. Some questions remained unanswered. FREE KIDS SCOOP with purchase of equal or greater value Must present coupon 905 Walnut St. | Red Bluff • 528-1698 11am-9pm • 7 days facebook.com/scoopsofredbluff http://www.facebook.com/scoopsofredbluff Nigerian president signs law banning gay marriage Facility where chemicals spilled flew under radar CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The facility whose chemical spill contaminated the water supply for 300,000 West Virginia residents was barely scrutinized, flying largely under the radar of government regulators who viewed it as a low-risk operation — but in reality, a problem at a key holding wall went undetected and unreported at Freedom Industries Inc. The chemicals stored at Freedom's facility near the Elk River are not considered hazardous enough by regulators to prompt routine inspections. As a result, the chemical storage terminal was a low priority for regulators, who must pick and choose how to allocate scarce manpower when enforcing environmental laws. ''I think that the loophole that this facility fell into is because it was not a hazardous material, it flew under the radar,'' said Randy Huffman, cabinet secretary of West Virginia's Department of Environmental Protection, which enforces environmental laws. Freedom's storage terminal holds millions of pounds of chemicals — including some used in coal processing — GARY'S AUTO BODY & 24 HOUR TOWING, INC. 13540 Trinity Ave, Red Bluff (530) 527-8262 • (530) 528-8261 IF NO ANSWER CALL 529-7400 www.garysautobodyandtowing.com AUTO BODY REPAIR WE BILL ALL MAJOR INSURANCE COMPANIES just a mile and a half upstream from pipes that take in water for a public drinking supply. The distance left little opportunity for chemicals to dilute in the event of a spill. And those chemicals were stored behind a brick-and-concrete block dike that seems to have had structural problems — an issue the company apparently was aware of. A state official says the president told regulators that Freedom had put $1 million into an escrow account to fix the wall that ultimately failed to hold Thursday's spill, which resulted in a fiveday ban on tap water. The ban was lifted for some areas Monday afternoon. Supreme Court likely to limit recess appts WASHINGTON (AP) — Just back from their own long break, Supreme Court justices set out Monday to resolve a politically charged fight over when the Senate's absence gives the president the power to make temporary appointments to high-level positions without senators' approval. The legal battle is the outgrowth of partisan rancor over presidential appointees that has characterized Washington over the past 20 years, and especially since President Barack Obama took office in 2009. Recess appointments have divided Democrats and Republicans, with views changing depending on which party holds the White House. But during more than 90 minutes of arguments Monday, the Obama administration was hard pressed to find support for its stand in Respecting People. Impacting Business Call us. And get back to work. favor of recess appointments from justices named by Republicans and Democrats alike — including Obama. Justice Elena Kagan, an Obama nominee, seized on the political dispute to make the point to Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. that ''congressional intransigence'' to Obama nominees may not be enough to win the court fight. Kagan, Verrilli's predecessor as Obama's top Supreme Court lawyer, suggested that it ''is the Senate's role to determine whether they're in recess.'' Blockade of Palestinian area of Damascus causes death of at least 40 BEIRUT (AP) — Children, the elderly and others displaced by Syria's civil war are starving to death in a besieged camp where women brave sniper fire to forage for food just minutes from the relative prosperity of Damascus. The dire conditions at the Yarmouk camp are a striking example of the catastrophe unfolding in rebel-held areas blockaded by the Syrian government. U.S. and Russian diplomats said Monday the warring sides are considering opening humanitarian corridors to let in aid and build confidence ahead of an international peace conference on Syria. Interviews with residents and U.N. officials, as well as photos and videos provided to The Associated Press, reveal an unfolding tragedy in the sprawling camp, where tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and displaced Syrians are trapped under an intensifying yearlong blockade. Forty-six people have died since October of starvation, illnesses exacerbated by hunger or Pilots who landed at wrong Missouri airport are grounded DALLAS (AP) — The pilots of a Southwest Airlines flight that mistakenly landed at the wrong Missouri airport were grounded Monday, less than a day after they touched down at a small airfield that gave them only half as much room as normal to stop the jet. Southwest Flight 4013 was traveling Sunday evening from Chicago's Midway Airport to Branson Airport but instead landed at tiny Taney County Airport seven miles away. No one was hurt, but after the 124 passengers were let off the plane, they noticed the airliner had come dangerously close to the end of the runway, where it could have tumbled down a steep embankment if it had left the pavement. 'Octomom' charged with welfare fraud in California LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nadya Suleman, who gained fame as ''Octomom'' after giving birth to eight babies, has been charged with welfare fraud after failing to report $30,000 in earnings while she collected public assistance, authorities said Monday. Suleman, whose real name is Natalie Denise Suleman, was ordered to appear in court on Friday, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said in a statement. She was not immediately taken into custody. Suleman was charged Jan. 6 with one count of aid by misrepresentation and two counts of perjury by false application. If convicted, she could face up to five years and eight months in jail. Since their birth, the single mother has tried to support her huge family in a variety of ways, including endorsing birth control for pets, making a pornographic video, posing for seminude photo shoots and participating in celebrity boxing matches. Last year she spent several weeks in a rehabilitation center for what her former publicist said was anxiety, exhaustion and stress F-150, built mostly of aluminum DETROIT (AP) — Some call it a gamechanger. Some just shake their heads. Either way, Ford's new aluminumclad F-150 is such a radical departure from past pickup trucks that it dominated talk at the opening of the Detroit auto show. Ford Motor Co. unveiled the 2015 F-150, whose body is 97-percent aluminum, on Monday. The lighter material shaves as much as 700 pounds off the 5,000pound truck, a revolutionary change for a vehicle known for its heft and an industry still reliant on steel. No other vehicle on the market contains this much aluminum. Call us any time for: • ECO-FRIENDLY & DRUG FREE • STATE-OF-THE-ART DOWN DRAFT SPRAY BOOTH • COLLISION REPAIR • NATIONAL AWARD WINNING APPROVED BY ALL RESTORATION MAJOR INSURANCE • AUTO & RV REPAIRS COMPANIES • LIFETIME WARRANTY • An extensive network of recruiting sources • Testing and training • Experienced recruiters • Full-time employees • HR expertise and support services • Temporary Workers • Evaluation hire • Carefully screened candidates • Dedicated service Free with collision repair 24 HOUR TOWING TAI'S DELI Buy 1 sandwich 2 Chips & 2 drinks, & receive 2nd sandwich FREE Full Auto Detailing Available 530-527-0727 243 So. Main Street www.expresspros.com One coupon per order • Expires: 1/31/14 Full price of equal or lesser value, can't be combined with any other offers. 2230 Main St, Ste. A, Red Bluff (530) 529-1657 MOULE'S TEHAMA COUNTY GLASS for • ECO-FRIENDLY & DRUG FREE • FAST! COURTEOUS SERVICE • CLEAN AIR CONDITIONED TRUCKS • REASONABLE RATES • LOCAL & LONG DISTANCE • FORK LIFT SERVICE • ANTIQUE & LUXURY CAR TOWING LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A new law in Nigeria, signed by the president without announcement, has made it illegal for gay people to even hold a meeting. The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act also criminalizes homosexual clubs, associations and organizations, with penalties of up to 14 years in jail. The act has drawn international condemnation from countries such as the United States and Britain. Some Nigerian gays already have fled the country because of intolerance of their sexual persuasion, and more are considering leaving, if the new law is enforced, human rights activist Olumide Makanjuola said recently. Nigeria's law is not as draconian as a Ugandan bill passed by parliament last month which would punish ''aggravated'' homosexual acts with life in prison. It awaits the president's signature. But Nigeria's law reflects a highly religious and conservative society that considers homosexuality a deviation. Nigeria is one of 38 African countries — about 70 percent of the continent — that have laws persecuting gay people, according to Amnesty International. ''As soon as we touched down, the pilot applied the brake very hard and very forcibly,'' said Scott Schieffer, a Dallas attorney. ''I was wearing a seatbelt, but I was lurched forward because of the heavy pressure of the brake. You could smell burnt rubber, a very distinct smell of burnt rubber as we were stopping.'' Branson Airport has a runway that is more than 7,100 feet long — a typical size for commercial traffic. The longest runway at Taney County is only slightly more than 3,700 feet because it is designed for small private planes. • ON & OFF ROAD RECOVER • MOTOR HOMES & RV'S TOWED • AUTO & RV REPAIRS • INSURANCE WORK • 5TH WHEEL TOWING • AUTO BODY WORK Fireplace Glass 515 Sycamore St., Red Bluff 529-0260 Lic#7575 Lic#8981 20 Antelope Boulevard Red Bluff 530-527-2403 www.myears4u.com "So you think you can't hear? Come in and prove it wrong. We'll gear you up for better hearing" OPEN HOUSE for local residents needing quality hearing instruments provided by a local hearing care professional specializing in Hearing Instruments & Assistive Technology on January 9th & 10th, 9am to Closing.