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CINCINNATI—Mitt Romney raised nearly $112 million for his presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee in the first half of October—putting him on pace for a potentially record-breaking fundraising month for his campaign. Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul announced the number in a message on Twitter. The total included cash raised between Oct. 1 and Oct. 17, according to the campaign. No further details were offered, such as the breakdown of how much money went to the Romney campaign versus the Romney Victory Fund, a joint committee formed between his campaign and the RNC. According to the campaign, the Romney effort...

The debt-ceiling brouhaha diverts attention from the most fundamental economic issue we face: Do we want a European-style welfare state? If we do, how in the world are we going to pay for it? Presidential candidate Barack Obama called for "hope and change," but he was deliberately vague on the "fundamental change" part. In speeches as president both at home and abroad, he appeared to reject American exceptionalism and intimated we have much to learn from Europe, especially its cradle-to-grave welfare state. Obama's juggernaut passage of universal health care, despite severe budget and employment problems and the loss of his...

DETROIT – According to a new report, 47 percent of Detroiters are ”functionally illiterate.” The alarming new statistics were released by the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund on Wednesday. WWJ Newsradio 950 spoke with the Fund’s Director, Karen Tyler-Ruiz, who explained exactly what this means. “Not able to fill out basic forms, for getting a job — those types of basic everyday (things). Reading a prescription; what’s on the bottle, how many you should take… just your basic everyday tasks,” she said. “I don’t really know how they get by, but they do.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Democrats in the state Senate on Monday countered Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts with a plan to raise taxes by nearly $5 billion, largely by extending temporary taxes and delaying corporate tax breaks for two years.

Democrats in the state Senate on Monday countered Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts with a plan to raise taxes by nearly $5 billion, largely by extending temporary taxes and delaying corporate tax breaks for two years.

Baby Boy Survives For Nearly Two Days After Abortion A baby boy abandoned by doctors to die after a botched abortion was found alive nearly two days later. By Simon Caldwell 28 Apr 2010 The 22-week infant later died in intensive care at a hospital in the mother's home town of Rossano in southern Italy. The mother, pregnant for the first time, had opted for an abortion after prenatal scans suggested that her baby was disabled. However the infant survived the procedure, carried out on Saturday in the Rossano Calabria hospital, and was left by doctors to die. He was...

The 22-week infant later died in intensive care at a hospital in the mother's home town of Rossano in southern Italy. The mother, pregnant for the first time, had opted for an abortion after prenatal scans suggested that her baby was disabled. However the infant survived the procedure, carried out on Saturday in the Rossano Calabria hospital, and was left by doctors to die. He was discovered alive the following day – some 20 hours after the operation – by Father Antonio Martello, the hospital chaplain, who had gone to pray beside his body. He found that the baby, wrapped...

Almost $10 million in union contributions went to the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN), and its affiliates according to U.S. Department of Labor financial disclosure forms called LM-2’s. The bulk of the donations came from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which contributed $7.4 million between 2005 and 2008 to the national organization, state chapters and allied groups. SEIU’s single largest donation of $1.5 million went to the ACORN Community Labor Organizing Center (ACLOC) in 2006. SEIU also made a $1.3 million donation to ACORN International in 2005.

HEIDELBERG, Germany (Army News Service, June 6, 2006) – An increase in locally focused contributions from Soldiers and Department of Defense civilians to the Combined Federal Campaign Overseas will bring nearly $100,000 to family and youth programs in U.S. Army, Europe. Brig. Gen. Rusty Frutiger, USAREUR deputy chief of staff for personnel, and Peter F. Sun, IMA-EURO chief of staff, received the $98,895 check, symbolizing the donations designated for Family Support and Youth Programs, from Renee Acosta, worldwide CFC campaign manager. “The FSYP is unique to the CFC-O and is the only way to donate locally while overseas,” said Constance...

Columbus mystery nearly solved 500 years after death By Phil Stewart Fri Mar 10, 11:30 AM ET ROME (Reuters) - Nearly 500 years after the death of Christopher Columbus, a team of genetic researchers are using DNA to solve two nagging mysteries: Where was the explorer really born? And where the devil are his bones? Debate about origins and final resting place of Columbus has raged for over a century, with historians questioning the traditional theory that he hails from Genoa, Italy. Some say he was a Spanish Jew, a Greek, a Basque or Portuguese. Even the location of his...

British adults have got fatter in the last 10 years with almost one in four now officially obese, according to new official statistics. In men, obesity rates almost doubled in 10 years, from 13.2 percent in 1993 to 23.6 percent in 2004, a study by the Health and Social Care Information Centre found. For women, the increase was slightly lower, growing from 16.4 percent to 23.8 percent. But findings that children's body mass index -- a measure of weight in relation to height -- continued to grow again raised fears that they will be larger than their parents and put...

The $580,000 project compliments a recently-completed sewer and paving project. BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 26, 2005 — Residents of Al Ameen, a southeastern Baghdad neighborhood, will soon reap the benefits of their first-ever water network, courtesy of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team with construction management by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The $580,000 project is 95 percent done, and is scheduled for completion by Nov. 7. “This project will provide potable water and fire hydrants to an area that has never had a water network.” Mike Mitchell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “This project will provide potable water and fire...

Iraqi teachers clean in preparation for the first day of school. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Polli Keller Sulayminyah School Projects Nearly Complete The school renovations included plaster repair and painting, as well as installation of ceiling fans and window screens and new playground equipment. By Polli Keller Gulf Region North U.S. Army Corps of Engineers MOSUL, Iraq, Oct. 12, 2005 — School days are here and Sulayminyah school renovations are nearing completion. Seven out of ten schools renovated in the Sulayminyah district are complete. The other three are ninety percent finished and will be ready for...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of people from countries other than Mexico arrested trying to cross the U.S. southern border has almost doubled this year, the head of the U.S. border patrol told the U.S. Congress on Tuesday. David Aguilar told the House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee on homeland security the United States was continuing to experience a rising influx of what he termed OTMs -- other than Mexicans -- trying to enter the country illegally. "Apprehensions are running at a rate of 175 percent for fiscal year 2005 over FY 2004's record number of OTM apprehensions on the southwest...

WASHINGTON - The Senate neared completion of a sweeping national energy agenda late Thursday that would promote conservation and environmentally friendly fuels. But senators rejected a last-minute bid to substantially raise automobile fuel economy over the next decade. The massive energy bill, which was essentially completed but awaits a final vote next Tuesday, contrasts with a bill more favorable to oil and gas producers and approved by the House in April. If the Senate, as expected, passes the bill next week, it will set the stage for difficult, possibly lengthy negotiations with the House later this summer. "It's going to...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Nearly 2,000 state employees earned more than $132,000 last year, according to a newspaper report. That's up from 1,194 in 2003 and 1,021 in 2002. The state controller's office provided data on the state's highest paid employees to the San Francisco Chronicle. As a group, the state's top 20 best-paid employees earned $6.2 million in 2004, up 9 percent from 2003 and up 20 percent from 2002. "Whenever you see such significant increases in such a short amount of time, it is a red flag," said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a...

Pope AFB Loses Nearly Half Of C-130 Fleet To Grounding Delegation Hopes To Update Fleet POSTED: 8:09 am EST February 15, 2005 FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- Nearly half of the aging C-130 airplanes at Pope Air Force Base have been grounded because of safety concerns, military officials said. Col. Darren W. McDew, 43rd Airlift Wing commander, said Monday 14 of the 31 four-propeller C-130 Hercules have at Pope are prevented from flying. The planes are used for missions as diverse as dropping Fort Bragg paratroopers on training exercises and hauling cargo around the Persian Gulf. Some members of the North Carolina...

Nearly 26,000 Could Vote at 5 U.S. Sites Fri Jan 28, 3:59 AM ET By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press Writer DETROIT - Before the weekend's over, nearly 26,000 Iraqis from coast to coast will have the chance to cast absentee ballots in their homeland's first free elections in more than 50 years. They'll pull back the curtain, step into the voting booth and do something historic — but also mostly symbolic. They simply don't have enough strength in numbers to significantly alter the results, and most of them know it. "The sense is more often about having the right to...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

The Schwarzenegger administration has quietly shut down virtually all expansion of California's state parks -- even land paid for with private donations, the Mercury News has learned. Saying the state cannot afford new rangers, fences, signs and maintenance, Schwarzenegger officials in the state Department of Finance are refusing to buy almost any new land or accept new scenic beaches, forests and historic sites into public ownership. The policy was put into place by the state Public Works Board, an obscure panel appointed by the governor that approves funding for state buildings, college classrooms, prisons, parks and other facilities. In March,...