U.S. gas prices come down for first time since July

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• U.S. gas prices come down for first time since July
• America's hidden unemployed: too discouraged to count
• Florida wants NASA land to develop commercial spaceport
• Double amputee in wheelchair shot dead by Houston police
• Analysis: Coal fight looms, Keystone-like, over U.S. Northwest
• Giant panda cub dies at U.S. National Zoo
• Chicago Symphony musicians strike over wages, healthcare share
• Turnover at top of IRS as tough 2013 tax season nears
• Sweet times for cows as gummy worms replace costly corn feed
• State Department spokesman slams CNN for reporting on ambassador's diary
• Mormon with outspoken blog posts on church says may face excommunication
• Florida wants NASA land to develop commercial spaceport
• U.S. gas prices come down for first time since July
• Double amputee in wheelchair shot dead by Houston police
• Giant panda cub dies at U.S. National Zoo
• Sweet times for cows as gummy worms replace costly corn feed
• Chicago Symphony musicians strike over wages, healthcare share
• Analysis: Coal fight looms, Keystone-like, over U.S. Northwest
• America's hidden unemployed: too discouraged to count
• Turnover at top of IRS as tough 2013 tax season nears

U.S. gas prices come down for first time since July Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:02 PM PDT (Reuters) - Gasoline prices in the United States dropped four-tenths of a cent over the past two weeks as crude oil prices fell, ending a long stretch of sustained price increases, according to a widely followed survey. The national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.8338 on September 21, down from $3.8376 on September 7, according to Trilby Lundberg, editor of the Lundberg Survey, which covers some 2,500 gas stations nationwide. ...

America's hidden unemployed: too discouraged to count Posted: 23 Sep 2012 07:04 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Daniel McCune graduated from college three years ago, he was optimistic his good grades would earn him a job as an intelligence analyst with the government. With a Bachelor of Science degree from Liberty University in Virginia, majoring in government service and history, McCune applied for jobs at the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies. But after a long hunt that yielded only two interviews, the 26-year-old threw in the towel last fall, joining millions of frustrated Americans who have given up looking for work. ...

Florida wants NASA land to develop commercial spaceport Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:29 PM PDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - With an eye toward developing a commercial spaceport, Florida has asked NASA to transfer 150 acres of land north of the shuttle launch pads and the shuttle runway to Space Florida, the state's aerospace development agency. "Florida believes that the properties identified in this request are excess to the needs of the U.S. ...

Double amputee in wheelchair shot dead by Houston police Posted: 23 Sep 2012 10:47 AM PDT (Reuters) - A double amputee in a wheelchair was shot and killed by Houston police after threatening an officer with what turned out to be a pen, local media reported on Sunday. The shooting took place early Saturday morning at a home for the mentally ill. An employee called police to report that resident Brian Claunch was acting aggressively against a caretaker who refused to give him a cigarette and a soda, the Houston Chronicle reported. Claunch, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, had lost an arm and a leg in a train accident and was sitting in a wheelchair. ...

Analysis: Coal fight looms, Keystone-like, over U.S. Northwest Posted: 23 Sep 2012 07:21 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Call it the Keystone of coal: a regulatory and public relations battle between environmentalists and U.S. coal miners akin to the one that has defined the Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline. Instead of blocking an import, however, this fight is over whether to allow a growing surplus of coal to be exported to Asia, a decision that would throw miners a lifeline by effectively offshoring carbon emissions and potentially give China access to cheaper coal. ...

Giant panda cub dies at U.S. National Zoo Posted: 23 Sep 2012 10:27 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The giant panda cub born at the National Zoo just one week ago died on Sunday, zoo officials said. While the exact cause of the baby panda's death is yet to be determined, zoo officials said the cub, which weighed just under 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces), was in good body condition and that there were no outward signs of trauma or infection. The cub's death was discovered Sunday morning after panda keepers and zoo volunteers heard a distress vocalization from its mother, Mei Xiang. ...

Chicago Symphony musicians strike over wages, healthcare share Posted: 23 Sep 2012 08:50 AM PDT (Reuters) - Musicians at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra went on strike after failing to reach an agreement on wages and healthcare benefits, prompting the cancellation of a Saturday night concert, the association that runs the orchestra said. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association said in a statement that the union representing the 109-member orchestra had rejected a three-year contract that would have raised the weekly $2,785 base salary to $2,795 in the first year, $2,835 the second year and $2,910 the third year. ...

Turnover at top of IRS as tough 2013 tax season nears Posted: 23 Sep 2012 06:01 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chief of the Internal Revenue Service will step down soon and, with no successor in sight, the IRS is likely to head into a difficult 2013 tax-filing season led by an interim boss. That is not an ideal situation, said tax lawyers. But they gave generally high marks to the IRS official they expect to be named as the temporary head of the U.S. tax agency come mid-November. That is when IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman's term in office will end. He plans to leave at that time as head of the 104,000-employee agency, according to an IRS spokesperson. ...

Sweet times for cows as gummy worms replace costly corn feed Posted: 23 Sep 2012 09:18 AM PDT KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Mike Yoder's herd of dairy cattle are living the sweet life. With corn feed scarcer and costlier than ever, Yoder increasingly is looking for cheaper alternatives -- and this summer he found a good deal on ice cream sprinkles. "It's a pretty colorful load," said Yoder, who operates about 450 dairy cows on his farm in northern Indiana. "Anything that keeps the feed costs down." As the worst drought in half a century has ravaged this year's U.S. ...

State Department spokesman slams CNN for reporting on ambassador's diary Posted: 22 Sep 2012 09:21 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A State Department spokesman sharply criticized CNN on Saturday, saying the network had reported on the diary of American ambassador Christopher Stevens after his death at the U.S. consulate in Libya despite the objections of his family. State Department spokesman Philippe Reines said CNN took Stevens' personal journal from the site where he and three other Americans were killed in an armed attack in Benghazi on September 11 and used it in reporting on the story despite the express wishes of his family members. ...

Mormon with outspoken blog posts on church says may face excommunication Posted: 22 Sep 2012 08:16 PM PDT SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - A Florida-based Mormon blogger has said he is facing discipline and possible excommunication by church officials over posts they perceive to be anti-Mormon. David Twede's posts offer his account of the history of the church's political involvement, criticism of fellow Mormon and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and the author's take on Mormon beliefs about the nature of God and temple ceremonies. Twede, a 47-year-old fifth-generation Mormon and the managing editor of MormonThink. ...

Florida wants NASA land to develop commercial spaceport Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:29 PM PDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - With an eye toward developing a commercial spaceport, Florida has asked NASA to transfer 150 acres of land north of the shuttle launch pads and the shuttle runway to Space Florida, the state's aerospace development agency. "Florida believes that the properties identified in this request are excess to the needs of the U.S. ...

U.S. gas prices come down for first time since July Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:02 PM PDT (Reuters) - Gasoline prices in the United States dropped four-tenths of a cent over the past two weeks as crude oil prices fell, ending a long stretch of sustained price increases, according to a widely followed survey. The national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.8338 on September 21, down from $3.8376 on September 7, according to Trilby Lundberg, editor of the Lundberg Survey, which covers some 2,500 gas stations nationwide. ...

Double amputee in wheelchair shot dead by Houston police Posted: 23 Sep 2012 10:47 AM PDT (Reuters) - A double amputee in a wheelchair was shot and killed by Houston police after threatening an officer with what turned out to be a pen, local media reported on Sunday. The shooting took place early Saturday morning at a home for the mentally ill. An employee called police to report that resident Brian Claunch was acting aggressively against a caretaker who refused to give him a cigarette and a soda, the Houston Chronicle reported. Claunch, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, had lost an arm and a leg in a train accident and was sitting in a wheelchair. ...

Giant panda cub dies at U.S. National Zoo Posted: 23 Sep 2012 10:27 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The giant panda cub born at the National Zoo just one week ago died on Sunday, zoo officials said. While the exact cause of the baby panda's death is yet to be determined, zoo officials said the cub, which weighed just under 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces), was in good body condition and that there were no outward signs of trauma or infection. The cub's death was discovered Sunday morning after panda keepers and zoo volunteers heard a distress vocalization from its mother, Mei Xiang. ...

Sweet times for cows as gummy worms replace costly corn feed Posted: 23 Sep 2012 09:18 AM PDT KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Mike Yoder's herd of dairy cattle are living the sweet life. With corn feed scarcer and costlier than ever, Yoder increasingly is looking for cheaper alternatives -- and this summer he found a good deal on ice cream sprinkles. "It's a pretty colorful load," said Yoder, who operates about 450 dairy cows on his farm in northern Indiana. "Anything that keeps the feed costs down." As the worst drought in half a century has ravaged this year's U.S. ...

Chicago Symphony musicians strike over wages, healthcare share Posted: 23 Sep 2012 08:50 AM PDT (Reuters) - Musicians at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra went on strike after failing to reach an agreement on wages and healthcare benefits, prompting the cancellation of a Saturday night concert, the association that runs the orchestra said. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association said in a statement that the union representing the 109-member orchestra had rejected a three-year contract that would have raised the weekly $2,785 base salary to $2,795 in the first year, $2,835 the second year and $2,910 the third year. ...

Analysis: Coal fight looms, Keystone-like, over U.S. Northwest Posted: 23 Sep 2012 07:21 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Call it the Keystone of coal: a regulatory and public relations battle between environmentalists and U.S. coal miners akin to the one that has defined the Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline. Instead of blocking an import, however, this fight is over whether to allow a growing surplus of coal to be exported to Asia, a decision that would throw miners a lifeline by effectively offshoring carbon emissions and potentially give China access to cheaper coal. ...

America's hidden unemployed: too discouraged to count Posted: 23 Sep 2012 07:04 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Daniel McCune graduated from college three years ago, he was optimistic his good grades would earn him a job as an intelligence analyst with the government. With a Bachelor of Science degree from Liberty University in Virginia, majoring in government service and history, McCune applied for jobs at the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies. But after a long hunt that yielded only two interviews, the 26-year-old threw in the towel last fall, joining millions of frustrated Americans who have given up looking for work. ...

Turnover at top of IRS as tough 2013 tax season nears Posted: 23 Sep 2012 06:01 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chief of the Internal Revenue Service will step down soon and, with no successor in sight, the IRS is likely to head into a difficult 2013 tax-filing season led by an interim boss. That is not an ideal situation, said tax lawyers. But they gave generally high marks to the IRS official they expect to be named as the temporary head of the U.S. tax agency come mid-November. That is when IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman's term in office will end. He plans to leave at that time as head of the 104,000-employee agency, according to an IRS spokesperson. ...

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