WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama called on Congress Wednesday to approve $250 payments to more than 50 million seniors to make up for no increase in Social Security next year. The Social Security Administration is scheduled to announce today that there will be no cost of living increase next year. By law, increases are pegged to inflation, which has been negative this year. It would mark the first year without an increase in Social Security payments since automatic adjustments were adopted in 1975. The White House put the cost at $13 billion.
Kids may need 2 flu shots
Test results of its swine flu vaccine suggest that children under 10 are likely to need two shots to be fully protected, vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur said Wednesday. Federal officials said the news is not surprising, since this age group needs two doses of regular seasonal flu vaccine the very first time they ever are given a flu vaccine for full immunity to develop. Pregnant women and young children are among the groups most urged to seek the vaccine as soon as it is available.
N. Carolina: Bible burning
A pastor said his church plans to burn Bibles and books by Christian authors on Halloween to light a fire under true believers. Pastor Marc Grizzard told WLOS TV in Asheville that the King James version of the Bible is the only one his Amazing Grace Baptist Church follows. He said all other versions, such as the Living Bible, are “satanic” and “perversions” of God’s word. On Halloween night, Grizzard and the 14 members of his church also will burn music and books by Christian authors, such as Billy Graham and Rick Warren.
New York: Pocket knife woes
An Eagle Scout who kept a 2-inch pocketknife in his car has been suspended from his upstate high school for bringing the weapon onto school grounds. Now he is concerned about his chances of getting accepted to West Point. Matthew Whalen was suspended for 20 days for violating the Lansingburgh Central School District’s zero-tolerance policy. The 17-year-old senior said he gave the knife to an administrator last month after another student told officials about it.
Suspect tries to eat evidence
Deputies said an upstate man has been charged with evidence tampering after he was busted for growing marijuana — and then tried to eat the evidence. Jeremy Wheeler and his father, William Wheeler, were arrested Sunday night after deputies say they found 116 plants growing in the son’s home in Willet. Deputies said Jeremy Wheeler, 29, tried to eat some of the plants while being booked.
Ohio: Stiletto heel attack
A woman has been sentenced to a year of probation for hitting a fellow exotic dancer in the face with a stiletto heel at a club. In a deal with prosecutors, 22-year-old Chetania Davis pleaded guilty Tuesday in Akron to a misdemeanor assault charge. Prosecutors said Davis used the heel to stab her 52-year-old co-worker several times April 17 in the club dressing room, causing wounds that required seven staples. It was the older woman’s first day on the job. Police had said she was attacked because Davis didn’t think the club needed more dancers.
Switzerland: Shoe tosser
The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush said Wednesday he has no regrets and would carry out his brazen protest again, even if it cost him his life. Muntadhar al-Zeidi told Swiss television that a judge asked him whether he regretted the gesture. “I told the judge only one thing: if the hands of the clock could go back I would do the same act even if it cost my life,” al-Zeidi said. Al-Zeidi, a TV reporter, became a hero for many in and outside Iraq who were angered by the U.S.-led invasion.
China: Tourism up in Tibet
Tibet received a record 4.75 million tourists in the first nine months of this year, state media reported Wednesday, marking a rebound from ethnic rioting and security clampdowns last year that shut the Himalayan region to travelers. Tourism revenue reached almost $580 million, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing the deputy director of the regional tourism bureau, Wang Songping. The tourist count includes both foreign and domestic visitors. Some of that money went to the more than 10,000 Tibetan families who have opened their homes to tourist stays, the report said.
From Herald news services
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