by Sara Olstad | Mar 13, 2014 | Immigration
WASHINGTON — Pedro Hernandez-Ramirez came to the U.S. from Mexico illegally more than 10 years ago, eventually settling in Elyria, Ohio, marrying an American citizen and helping raise his four kids, including stepson Juan, who has severe cerebral palsy. In 2013,...
by Sara Olstad | Mar 12, 2014 | Politics
WASHINGTON – First lady Michelle Obama might be nicer than Miss Piggy, at least according to Kermit the Frog. One of the reasons Kermit thinks Obama is so nice is her support for the nation’s military families, the Muppet said. Obama, Kermit and Gen. Martin Dempsey,...
by Sara Olstad | Mar 11, 2014 | Politics
WASHINGTON – A seven-foot-tall, bronze statue of Iowa’s Norman Borlaug, “the man who saved a billion lives” by developing new varieties of high-yield wheat during the Great Depression, will be unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on March 25, the 100th anniversary of his...
by Sara Olstad | Mar 10, 2014 | Business, Politics
WASHINGTON – Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., outlined his 2014 economic plan for America on Monday and announced he will propose bills to create new middle class jobs through tax code reform and to free up more wireless frequencies for private companies. At an event hosted...
by Sara Olstad | Mar 5, 2014 | Living, Politics
WASHINGTON — The Senate should take up a bill to raise the minimum wage to $10.10, two Democratic senators said Wednesday, despite a congressional report saying the proposed nearly $3 hike would cost 500,000 jobs. Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Mazie Hirono,...
by Sara Olstad | Feb 26, 2014 | Health & Science
WASHINGTON – An unlikely combination of advocates, comedian Seth Rogen and National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, came together to urge Congress to provide more funding for Alzheimer’s research Wednesday. The pair and other experts testified before a...
by Sara Olstad | Feb 24, 2014 | Politics
WASHINGTON — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn called on other governors Monday to push Congress to form a coalition to “modernize” the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s formula for determining eligibility for federal disaster aid, saying the current methodology is...
by Sara Olstad | Feb 18, 2014 | Politics
WASHINGTON — A life-size wax figure of former first lady Nancy Reagan was to be unveiled at Madame Tussauds DC on Tuesday morning. The figure is meant to capture Reagan as she looked in 1985 at the outset of President Ronald Reagan’s second term. It is dressed...
by Sara Olstad | Feb 12, 2014 | Living, Politics
WASHINGTON – Nearly 30 people have been killed at schools in the United States since the December 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., according to new data released by two gun control groups. Two Democratic lawmakers and members of Moms...
by Sara Olstad | Feb 10, 2014 | Politics
WASHINGTON — With veterans returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in search of employment, first lady Michelle Obama on Monday praised the construction industry for committing to hire 100,000 veterans over the next five years. “That’s a number that gets me...
by Sara Olstad | Feb 4, 2014 | Immigration
WASHINGTON – DREAMer Araceli Mendez had to work cleaning houses instead of going to college after she finished high school. Though the 21-year-old New York City resident had good grades and was accepted into five schools, she was an undocumented immigrant and could...
