Category: Quick hits

Reminder, be sure to come to downtown Henderson tonight for the Meet Me In The Street festival for some free live music! The Wenatchee Valley in Washington is decked out with millions of blossoms as a backdrop for the state’s 93rd annual Apple Blossom Festival, beginning tomorrow. An estimated 100,000 people will enjoy events including parades and a carnival and, of course, lots of apples, along with applesauce, apple butter, and apple pies.  Apples are a perennial American favorite — we …

Many automobile license plates herald the scenic wonders of the various states, others contain words giving a glimpse of the driver’s personal preferences.  New York was the first state to require license plates on motor vehicles 111 years ago this month.  At the time, there were just under 15,000 rudimentary automobiles in the entire country, traveling over muddy roads without a license for the driver or the automobile.  Now, there are more than 246 million cars, trucks, and buses zipping …

I noticed dueling articles Monday with “Most N.C. hospitals are slim on charity care” at the Charlotte Observer and “North Carolina’s urban hospitals pile up the cash” at the N&O. Nonprofit hospitals such as Caldwell Memorial are exempt from property, sales and income taxes. In return, they are expected to give back to their communities, largely by providing care to those who can’t afford it.  These institutions were created with charitable missions. But many don’t look or act like nonprofits …

President Obama believes that we should be doing everything we can to put higher education within reach for every American – because at a time when the unemployment rate for Americans with at least a college degree is about half the national average, it’s never been more important. He is calling on Congress to act before student loan interest rates double for more than 7.4 million students, adding an average of $1,000 to their debt. Congress has a chance to …

Yesterday was National Hanging Out Day.  No it’s not a special day for friends to hang out together for a few beers — although that could also happen — but the idea is to educate people about saving energy.  The goal is to get people to hang their clothes out to dry and not use electric or gas-powered clothes dryers to do the job.  Those who advocate using clotheslines point out that the practice saves energy, makes clothes smell better …

This week is set aside as a time to honor those who make life a little better by the work they do without pay to help others.  It’s National Volunteer Week.  It’s also a time to consider becoming involved in solving local problems and helping organizations that benefit communities and the nation.  More than a quarter of us do some sort of volunteer work.  This is a trend that cuts across age categories, with those 18 to 24 donating about …

Sixty-five years ago April 16th and 17th, the nation’s worst industrial accident devastated Texas City, Texas.  Tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer were being loaded into a French ship when fire broke out.  About an hour later, the ship exploded, causing catastrophic damage and loss of life.  The blast damaged another ship that blew up the next day.  It’s estimated that some 600 people were killed, another 5,000 injured, and a third of the town’s houses had to be condemned.  Property …

Debate about income tax rates ebbs and flows through the years, but has been especially heated during this presidential election year.  Federal income taxes have been around since 1913, when the 16th Amendment to the Constitution gave Congress the right to levy such taxes.  The first year, fewer than 360,000 returns were filed.  Now, some 142.5 million returns are submitted annually.  For those who don’t like to compute their own taxes, there are nearly 112,000 tax preparation offices around the …

This weeks Weekly Address: It’s Time for Congress to Pass the Buffett Rule, President Obama urges Congress to pass the Buffett Rule — which asks those who make more than $1 million a year to pay at least the same percentage of their income in taxes as middle class families — as a principle of fairness. West Wing Week: “You’re Proof of Change” This week, the President hosted a forum on Women and the Economy, welcomed the President of Brazil, …

On April 12th, in 1955, the nation was loudly celebrating great medical news.  Dr. Jonas Salk announced a vaccine against polio — the most feared disease of that era.  Polio affects the nervous system, causing paralysis in the legs and the muscles operating the lungs.  Most victims were children — hence the other name for the illness, infantile paralysis.  However, adults could also contract polio and its most famous victim was Franklin D. Roosevelt.  After the introduction of the Salk …