“Lung stolen from exhibition of human cadavers - Charleston Gazette” plus 4 more

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• Lung stolen from exhibition of human cadavers - Charleston Gazette
• Airlines Improve On-Time Arrivals In August - WSB-TV Atlanta
• Hawaii state employees face 42 furlough days this year, next - Honolulu Advertiser
• NRA Portrays New Yorkers as Mobsters in Virginia Ad - CBS News
• Governor: Budget session needed - Omaha World-Herald

Lung stolen from exhibition of human cadavers - Charleston Gazette Posted: 07 Oct 2009 09:12 AM PDT LIMA, Peru -- A traveling exhibition of human cadavers wants a stolen lung back. The left lung was taken in Peru from "Bodies: The Exhibition,'' which has traveled the globe displaying cadavers preserved through a process that replaces water in biological tissues with polymers. The organ disappeared from an area where visitors can touch preserved cadavers. "In the whole world this has never happened,'' said Susan Hoefken, manager of Lima-based Impacto, the company presenting the exhibition. A $2,000 reward -- no questions asked -- was offered Tuesday for the return of the lung. It has no commercial value but will be costly to replace, Hoefken said. She described the embarrassment of reporting the Monday theft to the show's owner, Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions. "They told us to recover the lung somehow,'' Hoefken said. The exhibition travels next to Colombia.

Airlines Improve On-Time Arrivals In August - WSB-TV Atlanta Posted: 07 Oct 2009 08:15 AM PDT DOT Says Nearly 80% Of Flights Arrived On Time Posted: 12:36 pm EDT October 6, 2009Updated: 11:18 am EDT October 7, 2009 MINNEAPOLIS -- Arriving on-time was just a little bit easier for airline passenger traveling in August. The Transportation Department said on Tuesday that 79.7 percent of flights arrived on time in August. That was an improvement from 78.4 percent in August 2008, and 77.6 percent in July. Southwest Airlines Co. was the most punctual of the large carriers, with an on-time arrival rate of 82.8 percent. Continental, US Airways, and United also came in above the average of 79.7 percent. Northwest (now part of Delta Air Lines Inc.) and AirTran had the lowest on-time rate of the big carriers, near 74 percent. Airlines say the biggest cause of delays were when one late plane caused the next flight on the same aircraft to be late. Another cause was issues with the national aviation system such as airport operations, heavy traffic, and air traffic control. Nineteen airlines report monthly on-time data and causes of delays to the Department of Transportation. The delays are labeled under categories such as "Extreme Weather" and "National Aviation System Delay" that were created by the airlines, industry groups, travel agents and government officials. The government considers a flight on-time if it arrives within 15 minutes of schedule. Canceled and diverted flights count as late. Hawaiian Airlines topped the list of all 19 carriers, with 94.7 percent of flights arriving on-time. Delta regional operator Comair was last, at 65.9 percent. Comair also had the highest rate of canceled flights, 4.3 percent. Continental canceled just 0.2 percent of its flights, the best of all 19 carriers. Those on-time passengers were a little more likely to have their luggage waiting for them, too. Reports of mishandled bags fell to 4.04 per 1,000 passengers in August, down from 4.98 a year earlier. Fewer people are flying this year, and the passengers who remain are checking fewer bags because of baggage fees. AirTran had the best baggage performance in August, with 1.74 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers. Comair held last place by this measure, too, with 8.2 mishandled bags for every 1,000 passengers. Delta had the lowest ranking of the large carriers, with 5.02 mishandled bags for every 1,000 passengers. Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Hawaii state employees face 42 furlough days this year, next - Honolulu Advertiser Posted: 07 Oct 2009 10:31 AM PDT Gov. Linda Lingle's administration and the Hawaii Government Employees Association have agreed to roughly 18 furlough days this fiscal year and 24 furlough days next fiscal year for state workers, sources close to the negotiations said. The furloughs would reduce the state's labor costs and ease an estimated deficit of about $1 billion through June 2011. The proposed contract represents a compromise for both the Lingle administration and the state's largest public-sector labor union. Lingle initially wanted 36 furlough days a year for both years and then offered 24 furlough days a year for both years. The union at first offered the equivalent of 12 furlough days a year for both years and then proposed 18 furlough days this year and 12 furlough days next year. Lingle said yesterday that announcing the new contract has been delayed in part by the fact that no county mayors have signed off on the potential settlement. Under state labor law, at least one of the four county mayors must sign off on the agreement, since it involves both state and county workers. The counties have already passed balanced budgets for this fiscal year without furloughs, so they would have to insert a section into the contract on how they will handle furloughs for county workers. Three of the four mayors Honolulu's Mufi Hannemann, the Big Island's Billy Kenoi and Maui's Charmaine Tavares are traveling out of state, which could be a factor in the timing, since the mayors have been negotiating as a group. Contract changes also have to be worked through with the Hawai'i Health Systems Corp. and the state Judiciary. Both Lingle administration officials and the union indicated yesterday that an agreement is possible this week. The agreement would then be subject to a ratification vote by union members. KITV reported details of the potential settlement with the HGEA on Saturday. The agreement with HGEA would follow a similar agreement approved last month by state teachers. The state and the Hawaii State Teachers Association agreed to a new contract that includes 17 furlough days a year for teachers on 10-month schedules and 21 furlough days a year for teachers on year-round schedules. Lingle said yesterday that she hopes teachers will reconsider taking the furlough days away from classroom instruction. The University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly is voting this week on a contract offer from the university that includes a 5 percent pay cut. Lingle said she hopes the state Legislature looks at the collective bargaining process next session. The governor said the state and the counties do not share identical interests and have different workforce compositions. Most of the HGEA workers covered by the potential settlement work for the state, yet, under state labor law, the counties have a voice in the process. The law also gives the governor a say over county police and firefighter contracts even though most police officers and firefighters work for the counties. "We've learned the hard way about the complications and the impact those complications can have," Lingle said. "Not being able to move forward right now because the mayors aren't in sync with us is causing us to take much longer than it needs to be. "We should have had this finished by now, but it's just the way the law is written." Bill Brennan, a spokesman for Hannemann, who is in Japan, said the mayors are "not quite there" on contract language. "The mayors are continuing to work on contract language and issues that involve the counties," he said. Lingle said the state is not close to reaching a deal with the blue-collar United Public Workers. The state and the UPW's public safety unit are in binding arbitration. Meanwhile, a status conference scheduled for yesterday at the Hawai'i Labor Relations Board on the Lingle administration's layoff procedures was postponed. The board has ordered the administration to consult with the HGEA on layoffs, such as disclosing the criteria used to select the 1,100 state workers targeted. Lingle said last week that the initial round of layoffs in November would save the state $25 million. A second round of layoffs is also possible, she has said. Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

NRA Portrays New Yorkers as Mobsters in Virginia Ad - CBS News Posted: 07 Oct 2009 10:38 AM PDT Report offensive content: If you believe this comment is offensive or violates the CBSNews.com Terms of Use, you can report it below (this will not automatically remove the comment). Once reported, our staff will be notified and the comment will be reviewed. Select type of offense: Offensive: Sexually explicit or offensive language Spam: Advertisements, commercial links, or repetitive posts Disruptive posting: Flaming or offending other users Illegal activities: Promote cracked software, or other illegal content Off-topic: Commentary unrelated to the storyline Comments (optional): Report Cancel This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Governor: Budget session needed - Omaha World-Herald Posted: 07 Oct 2009 09:48 AM PDT LINCOLN — A "dramatic and sharp downturn" in state tax receipts during September make a special budget-cutting session of the Legislature necessary, Gov. Dave Heineman said today. "I don't have any doubt there will be a special session," he said. The only question is exactly when the session will be called. It will follow the Oct. 30 meeting of the state's official forecasting board. The board will revise revenue projections for the fiscal year ending June 30 and the following fiscal year. The governor today also ordered state agencies to take immediate steps to reduce their spending for the year. In a memo, the governor asked agency heads not to fill vacant positions, not to undertake travel costs, not to lease or purchase space or equipment, not to launch new programs unless those actions were absolutely essential. He also instructed the officials to start planning for budget reductions affecting the fiscal year that ends June 30 and the following fiscal year. "The dramatic and sharp downturn in September receipts is a reflection of the economic slowdown on Nebraska," Heineman said. A report released today shows that Nebraska's net tax revenues fell $40 million short of expectations for September. For the fiscal year that began July 1, net revenues are $56.8 million below projections. September marks the fifth month out of the last six in which state revenues fell short of the figures used in setting the state budget. State Sen. Abbie Cornett of Bellevue said she expects that the governor will limit the scope of a special session to making budget cuts, which would preclude senators from considering tax increases to deal with the budget problems. The state's budget situation has been worsening since lawmakers this spring adopted a two-year state budget, padded with federal stimulus funds. State Sen. Cap Dierks of Ewing, the vice chairman of the Revenue Committee, said the call likely reflects the need to make cuts before the budget "becomes a disaster." "It's going to be interesting to see where the budget cuts will come from," Dierks said. Copyright ©2009 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.

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