Tag Archive

Diplomatic row during VP visit highlights Obama’s failure to dim Israel’s settlement ambitions

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — An open diplomatic row during the visit of Vice President Joe Biden has shined a spotlight on the U.S. failure to rein in Israeli settlement ambitions and deepened Palestinian suspicions that the United States is too…

Obama pitches health care bill as Democrats say they’re close to agreement on a bill

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — Democrats claimed momentum Wednesday in their drive to enact the sweeping health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama, citing near agreement on crucial issues despite persistent Republican efforts to knock them…

Are you smarter than a 5th-grader? New math, English standards could make it easier to tell

SEATTLE (AP) — Governors and education leaders on Wednesday proposed sweeping new school standards that could lead to students across the country using the same math and English textbooks and taking the same tests, replacing a patchwork of state and…

Senate extends jobless aid, business tax breaks; measure now goes to House talks

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate voted Wednesday to extend key pieces of last year’s economic stimulus measure, including help for the jobless and money to help financially strapped states pay for health care for the poor.

The 62-36 vote came over…

Florida Senate committee backs bill that would base teacher pay on performance, test scores

Teachers unions say it will destroy public schools. Supporters say it’s a long-overdue tool to weed out bad teachers and reward highly effective ones.

The question: Should teacher pay — and job security — depend on how students score on…

Major Miami hospital system in ‘death spiral’ as it runs low on cash; reflects woes nationwide

MIAMI (AP) — The city’s major hospital network, which runs Miami’s only round-the-clock trauma center and is a safety net for the poor and uninsured, is running out of money and could close, a predicament that illustrates the precarious financial…

Two South Florida women honored for service as World War II pilots

At a time when not many women dreamed of careers outside the home, Pompano Beach resident Florine Carley Maloney and Bernice Falk Haydu of Singer Island let their imaginations soar.

As members of the pioneering Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP,…

Biden reassures Palestinians of U.S. support

Vice President Joe Biden sought Wednesday to reassure Palestinians that the United States intends to push ahead with its Mideast peacemaking effort, despite an diplomatic blow-up with Israel this week over its plans to build new housing in disputed…