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KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) — The Howard County commissioners on Friday approved a ban on the sale of nonessential goods from stores remaining open because they were deemed essential during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The commissioners’ order says the sale of nonessential goods at essential stores was “not fair” to the businesses selling only nonessential goods that have closed in compliance with the county’s public health emergency ordinance. The ban will begin at noon Saturday, the order says. Signs in the stores must notify shoppers of the ban. The nonessential goods include jewelry, furniture, home and lawn decor, toys/games, carpet/rugs/flooring, nonemergency...

Pennsylvania State Rep. Thomas Murt (R) is pushing a permit requirement for ammunition purchases throughout the state. His legislation — HB 2344 — has been referred to the PA’s House Judiciary Committee and is filed with the memo, “Addressing Gun Violence and Enhancing Public Health and Safety.” Page 21 of the 25-page bill sets forth details of Murt’s proposed “Ammunition Purchase Authorization Permits,” saying, “A person holding an ammunition purchase authorization permit issued under this section may purchase or otherwise seek the transfer of ownership of ammunition from a retailer that sells ammunition.” The proposed permits would be valid for...

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced an executive order that mandates 100% of the state's workforce "must stay home, excluding essential services," until further notice. That order does not apply to liquor stores, the New York State Liquor Store Association clarified later Friday. "Liquor stores have been deemed an essential business and may remain open," the association said in a press release. "You do not need to reduce your workforce. This applies to all SLA licensed entities as per the SLA." Beverage manufacturing, including alcoholic beverages, is also considered an essential operation, and is included under the state's...

Even though the president has agreed to a three week break in America’s longest running partial shutdown, shutdowns provide some unique opportunities. Should some “unessential services” be permanently shut down or downsized? If something is non-essential, why is the government paying for it at all. There are exceptional government employees and leaders who are very capable and do their jobs effectively. But what if they are good at doing a job that is not necessary for government to do. It’s hard for any politician in Washington to take on government employees. They not only can demonstrate. They vote! Peter Drucker,...

Mulvaney: Trump Won't 'Weaponize' Potential Shutdown Like Obama Did in 2013 By Debra Heine January 19, 2018 Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney said Friday morning that if the government shuts down it will look very different from the shutdown of 2013, when former President Obama’s administration did things to "hurt people." Mulvaney added: “There's no other way to describe it. The Obama administration weaponized the shutdown in 2013.” The budget director was referring to what at the time was referred to as "shutdown theater," when the Obama administration unnecessarily closed popular attractions like national parks....

With environmentalists calling for divestment from fossil fuels, the former United Nations climate chief has gone against the grain and defended using the “Green Climate Fund” to finance coal projects. “There are massive challenges in terms of poverty eradication where coal is a logical choice from a cost effectiveness point of view, and you really have to be in a position to offer those countries an economically viable alternative before you begin to rule out coal,” Yvo de Boer, the former head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, told the news site Responding to Climate Change (RCC). “It’s...

Petula Dvorak: In a storm, it’s interesting to note who’s ‘essential’By Petula Dvorak, Oct 29, 2012 11:06 PM EDT The Washington Post **SNIP** It's like a weirdly inverse chart, where the folks with secure government jobs, the ones with SUVs and more affluent addresses, get to stay home, bundle up and wait out the storm. **SNIP** The very definition of “nonessential employee” is turned on its head. Law offices, lobbying shops, consulting agencies — all dark. The corner store with Ho Hos and wine bottle openers? A beacon of glorious light! Across the city, federal buildings were locked up, the...

This is your Turner Classic Movie channel alert! Tonight...Street Scene(1931), 8pm est "A husband's violent reaction becomes the talk of the neighborhood when he catches his cheating wife in the act."

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2008 – The efforts of the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard are essential to victory in the war against terrorism, Vice President Richard B. Cheney told graduating cadets at their academy commencement today in New London, Conn. Video “When you stepped forward to serve the United States, it was already clear that these are decisive times in the life of our country,” Cheney told members of the Class of 2008 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. “It’s rare for an academy class to begin during a war and then graduate during that same...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2007 – President Bush voiced his support for Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during an address today at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Kansas City, Mo. He also pointed out that a free Iraq would provide hope throughout the Middle East. “It's not up to politicians in Washington, D.C., to say whether he will remain in his position -- that is up to the Iraqi people who now live in a democracy, and not a dictatorship,” Bush said, drawing applause. “A free Iraq is not going to transform the Middle East overnight,” he said....

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2007 – In a country that has seen constant war for decades, it is easy for environmental issues to fall to the wayside. Alex Dehgan, country director for the Wildlife Conservation Society in Afghanistan, shows examples of some of the legal and illegal furs sold on or near Bagram Air Base. Photo by Spc. Nathan W. Hutchison, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But U.S. officials are working to bring the issue to the forefront. U.S. Embassy and Environmental Protection Agency officials hosted a class here Aug. 13 to raise awareness of...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, March 16, 2007 – Airlift is essential to success in the war in Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. Transportation Command said here March 14. Air Force Gen. Norton A. Schwartz visited Bagram to observe and speak about the airlift mission being performed throughout Afghanistan. As the single manager for global air, land, and sea transportation for the Defense Department, Schwartz said he’s familiar with the partnerships exhibited here among the U.S. services and coalition forces. "The team at Bagram is, in fact, a joint team," he said. "People appreciate what each other do and try...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2006 -- The U.S. military can’t lose in Iraq or Afghanistan, but the situation won’t improve beyond a certain point without significant political progress, outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said last night. “We're in that unusual situation where the Department of Defense is looked at for the situations in those countries, when the reality is that we can't lose a single military battle in either country at all, not possible,” Rumsfeld said in an interview with Brit Hume on Fox News Channel. “But we can't win without help from others.” The U.S. State Department and...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2006 -- U.S. military transition teams in Iraq and Afghanistan are making a big contribution as they not only advise and mentor local security forces, but also set an example of professionalism in daily operations, senior military officers told the House Armed Services Committee yesterday. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. George Flynn, commander of Training and Education Command, joined Lt. Gen. James Lovelace, the Army deputy chief of staff for operations, and Army Maj. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of 1st Infantry Division, in describing the work of more than 400 military transition teams in the theater and...

LONDON (AFP) - The International Energy Agency will urge countries around the world to accelerate construction of nuclear power plants next week, the IEA's chief economist told the Financial Times in an interview. Fatih Birol, speaking ahead of the publication of the agency's World Energy Outlook, said that countries must convince their voters that nuclear power was both safe and an "essential tool" to meet domestic energy security, and global climate change, goals. "We need a decision almost tomorrow if we are going to act before we reach a point of no return in climate and security of supply," Birol...

WASHINGTON, March 27, 2006 – Partnerships and cooperation with allies and friendly nations are essential for the U.S. to address threats in the global war on terrorism, the deputy defense secretary said here today. The U.S. faces a wider array of threats and a more uncertain future than ever before, and no single country can stand up to these threats and win alone, Gordon England said at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency Worldwide Conference. To meet the diverse security challenges of the future, DoD must strengthen and adapt long-term alliances, as well as form relationships with new international partners, enabling...

Workers continue work on the Sadr City Water Treatment Plant, which is one of the ongoing essential services re-building projects in Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Lt. Col. Otto Busher Coalition Priority: Restore Iraq's Essential Services The infrastructure projects, while providing services previously unavailable in many parts of rural Iraq, also provide needed jobs and income for citizens. By U.S. Army Sgt. Ann Drier363rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment BAGHDAD, Feb. 23, 2006 — Most Americans have difficulty thinking about not having running water, flushing toilets, weekly trash pickup or electricity 24 hours-a-day. We take for granted the things that...

SACRAMENTO — With Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's confirmation he's running for re-election, his foes hope to persuade the public his bid for new term hangs on the out come of his Nov. 8 special election to revamp government. It doesn't, according to analysts. Political experts said Schwarzenegger can survive a special-election defeat and go on to win re-election in November 2006. "Schwarzenegger has huge problems," said Jack Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College. "But other governors have climbed out of the poll pits to win re-election." Oakland's own Jerry Brown, a Democrat, and former GOP Gov. Pete Wilson...

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about "Father Abraham." I realized something about him that I never fully appreciated before: the incredible simplicity of his faith and relationship with God. Theologians and scholars have taken apart poor Abraham and have examined every aspect of his life minute, technical detail, wringing every last drop of meaning from every single word of his story in Genesis. While it is very important to understand and appreciate what Abraham represents in terms of our knowledge of the workings of God, we lose sight of the simplicity of his relationship with the LORD. Here is...