Article Title: Postal employee deaths at Pontiac facility raise questions
Snippet of Article: "... This site is considered a brownfield. Brownfields are former
industrial or commercial sites where future use is affected by environmental
contamination. Brownfield sites are converted into usable space under the supervision
of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)..."
Article Title: Police Shooting of Oregon Occupier Declared Justified, but F.B.I. Faces Inquiry
Snippet of Article: "...Neither of the shots by the F.B.I. struck Mr. Finicum, investigators said. Rather, Mr. Finicum was shot and killed by three rounds fired by Oregon state officers, all of which struck him in the back, they said ..."
Article Title: FERS Annuity Supplement and Calculation
Snippet of Article: "...The FERS annuity supplement is paid in addition to gross monthly Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) annuity benefits. It represents what you would receive for your FERS civilian service from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and is calculated as if you were eligible to receive SSA benefits on the day you retired. If you retire voluntarily on an immediate annuity which is not reduced for age, you may be eligible for the annuity supplement..."
Article Title: Economists see mixed signals in latest U.S. jobs report
Snippet of Article: "...for an overall look at the labor market you need to dig deeper and see the labor force participation rate, how many people are long-term unemployed, how many are involuntarily in part-time jobs but looking for full-time jobs, how many are too discouraged to look for work and even participate in the labor market."
The number of long-term unemployed (2.1 million) has not changed substantially since June, according to the BLS ..."
Article Title: Governments, corporations and others really do have apps and tools to follow you
Snippet of Article: "...let’s take a look at some of the apps and tools used on the show, all of which actually exist and which you could also use..."
Article Title: The IRS Says Identity Thieves Hacked Its Systems Again
Snippet of Article: "...breach computer systems at the Internal Revenue Service to file fraudulent tax refunds.
The criminals were especially after E-file PINs, which are used by some individuals to electronically file a return, the agency said in a statement released Tuesday. Around 464,000 unique social security numbers..."
Article Title: Budget projects ‘largest relative pay cut’ for feds
Snippet of Article: "...The 2017 budget, which was released on Feb. 9, estimates that any raise less than 2.1 percent would be the eighth-consecutive annual increase that came in below the Employment Cost Index, which measures the cost of labor.
The result is a 9 percent gap between federal and private-sector pay..."
Article Title: Postal worker bosses come to blows after name-calling, cops say
Snippet of Article: "...Two U.S. Postal Service supervisors exchanged blows at a Lehigh County facility after one called the other a "lazy b..."
Article Title: Secret Document Exposes USPS Privatization Planning
Snippet of Article: "...The document is covered by a “protective order” that prohibits its disclosure, but the Administrative Law Judge presiding over the case has ruled that the contents can be summarized and brought out from behind the veil of secrecy.
As described by the judge in his order, the document reveals that the Postal Service’s consultant ..."
Article Title: Average U.S. Mortgage Interest Rates Decline for 5th Straight Week
Snippet of Article: "...These declines are not what the market anticipated when the Fed raised the Federal funds rate in December. For now, though, sub-4-percent mortgage rates are providing a longer-than-expected opportunity for mortgage borrowers to refinance..."
Article Title: Danish Law Requires Asylum Seekers to Hand Over Valuables
Snippet of Article: "...LONDON — Denmark passed a law on Tuesday requiring newly arrived asylum seekers to hand over valuables, including jewelry and gold, to help pay for their stay in the country. The move underscored an anti-immigration backlash that has prompted several European countries to seek ways to discourage migrants from entering...."
Article Title: Glenn Harlan Reynolds: Donald Trump-Bernie Sanders race may be in works
Snippet of Article: "...Trump, of course, remains atop all of the polls for the GOP nomination. And now Bernie Sanders is crushing Hillary in CNN/WMUR’s latest New Hampshire poll, 60 percent to 33 percent. That’s right, Bernie has a 27-point lead among New Hampshire Democrats..."
Article Title: U.S. Will Track Secret Buyers of Luxury Real Estate
Snippet of Article: "...The initiative is part of a broader federal effort to increase the focus on money laundering in real estate. Treasury and federal law enforcement officials said they were putting greater resources into investigating luxury real estate sales that involve shell companies like limited liability companies, often known as L.L.C.s; partnerships; and other entities..."
Article Title: Iran releases 10 US Navy sailors after boat drifted in Persian Gulf
Article Title: Iran holds 10 U.S. sailors but pledges to release them soon, Pentagon says
Snippet of Article: "...The Iranian military took control of two U.S. Navy vessels and their crew Tuesday..."
Article Title: Government releases updated dietary guidelines
Snippet of Article: "...latest dietary guidelines, released Thursday, seek to help Americans reduce their likelihood of disease and obesity through a more healthful diet. The newest guidance comes down hard on..."
Article Title: TSA Week in Review: Black Powder, Smoke Grenades, Guns and More - January 1 – 7
Snippet of Article: "...37 firearms were discovered this week in carry-on bags around the nation. Of the 37 firearms discovered, 30 were loaded and 15 had a round chambered. All of the firearms..."
Article Title: ‘Highly provocative’: Iran rocket launch near US ship latest challenge for Washington
Snippet of Article: "...latest challenge was a missile launch over the weekend less than a mile from a U.S. aircraft carrier -- which came on the heels of two other similar incidents, two ballistic missile tests, and the harsh treatment of American prisoners including a Washington Post journalist..."
Article Title: Secret Service agent's gun, badge stolen near White House
Snippet of Article: "...The report lists a black Sig Sauer handgun, an APX6000 radio, handcuffs, a USB flash drive, a Black PATAGONIA bag
Article Title: Polluted nuclear weapons site to become tourist destination
Snippet of Article: "...Thousands of people are expected next year to tour the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, home of the world's first full-sized nuclear reactor, near Richland, about 200 miles east of Seattle in south-central Washington...."
Article Title: Federal employees on tap for pay raise after Congress takes no action
Snippet of Article: "...That represents the third straight year that Congress has followed such a strategy of action by inaction on the raise..."
Article Title: CWA Endorses Sen. Bernie Sanders for President
Snippet of Article: "... 'Bernie Sanders stands with working families against corporate greed, against Wall Street and the big banks, against politics as usual. He stands against the flood of money in politics that’s corrupting our democracy and attacking the right to vote. He knows that we have to take on the rich and powerful special interests to turn around this economy and end the 40 years of stagnant wages that working families have endured.
'He’s the candidate who can do it, and we are going to help him..."
Article Title: Why oil is a big winner in Washington's budget deal
Snippet of Article: "...Leaders in Congress have reached a major compromise that would avert a government shutdown -- and it brings lots of goodies to Corporate America..."
Article Title: No evidence California attackers were part of terrorist cell: FBI head
Snippet of Article: "...There is no evidence a married couple who killed 14 people in California this month were part of a terrorist cell, the head of the FBI said on Wednesday, echoing investigators' views that the pair were inspired by, rather than organized by Islamic State..."
Article Title: Why the FBI was notified about cell phones bought in Missouri
Snippet of Article: "...Employees also notified police when someone bought 50 cell phones in Columbia, Mo., and news reports began stacking up, with a total of five cities in Missouri reporting unusual sales of pre-paid cell phones along with thefts of propane tanks..."
The following are just a few examples of situations taking place that everyone needs to be aware of in case you have missed some of the headlines lately:
Article Title: Will Retired Federal Employees Still Receive Their Annuity Payments During a Shutdown?
Snippet of Article: "...The possibility of a shutdown is again looming at the end of the week. What impact does a partial government shutdown have on your annuity payments should it take place?..."
Article Title: Donald Trump Defends Call to Block Muslims, Citing Roosevelt
Snippet of Article: "...“Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life,” Mr. Trump wrote in a statement..."
Article Title: F.B.I Treating San Bernardino Attack as Counterterrorism Investigation
Snippet of Article: "...Law enforcement officials said the F.B.I. had uncovered evidence that Mr. Farook was in contact over several years with extremists domestically and abroad, including at least one person in the United States who was investigated for suspected terrorism by federal authorities in recent years..."
Article Title: Wounded Warrior Federal Leave Act Signed Into Law
Snippet of Article: "...The Wounded Warrior Federal Leave Act (H.R. 313 and S. 242), introduced by Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and backed by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, was signed into law by President Obama on November 5, 2015. The legislation will provide up to 104 hours of paid sick leave to any new Federal or Postal employee who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more, primarily for the purpose of undergoing medical treatment for such disability..."
