Mexico remittances nearly $24.8B in 2015, topping oil income

MEXICO CITY (AP) – The central bank reported Tuesday that money sent home by Mexicans overseas hit nearly $24.8 billion last year, overtaking oil revenues for the first time as a source of foreign income. Remittances were up 4.75 percent from 2014 when they totaled $23.6 billion, the Bank of Mexico said. They had never […]

Panther killed in southwest Florida

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) – Officials say a Florida panther was found dead on Interstate 75 in southwest Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that the 2-year-old collared male was found Tuesday after being hit by a vehicle on I-75 near the Daniel’s Parkway exit in Lee County. The remains will be taken […]

US proposes more Pentagon funding for Europe aid, equipment

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Obama administration said Tuesday it will propose quadrupling what it spends on its troops and training in Europe, as part of the U.S. military’s accelerating effort to deter Russia. President Barack Obama, in his final budget request to Congress, will ask for $3.4 billion – up from $789 million for the […]

VA leader vows penalty for officials accused in job scam

WASHINGTON (AP) – The No. 2 official at the Department of Veterans Affairs says he still intends to punish two senior officials accused of manipulating the agency’s hiring system for their own gain. Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson demoted Kimberly Graves and Diana Rubens last month after they forced lower-ranking managers to accept job transfers […]

Florida Dept. of Health: Zika reported in Lee County

FORT MYERS, Fla.- Two cases of Zika fever have been reported in Lee County, according to the Florida Department of Health. State health officials say an additional seven cases of Zika have been reported in Florida including: Hillsborough County: 2 Miami-Dade County: 4 Santa Rosa County: 1 Those affected traveled to a country or area experiencing the Zika virus such as Colombia, […]

Thunderstorms could erupt in Midwest alongside cold front

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The howling storm system that dumped more than a foot of snow on some parts of Colorado and is laying it on thick in Nebraska and Iowa has spawned rainstorms along its southeastern and southern side. Greg Dial with the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said Tuesday that warm air […]

General says poor leadership is biggest problem for Afghans

WASHINGTON (AP) – The top American commander in Afghanistan told Congress on Tuesday that most of the problems facing the Afghan security forces stem from poor leadership. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Army Gen. John F. Campbell said the Afghan National Army has replaced 92 general officers, including a high-level commander in volatile […]

Plan to spin off air traffic control generates turbulence

WASHINGTON (AP) – The air traffic control system that choreographs the roughly 7,000 aircraft in U.S. skies at any given moment is the most complex, but also one of the safest, in the world – and rarely a thought in the minds of the millions of travelers who rely on it. A Republican House committee […]

Rookie docs can work longer flex hours safely, study finds

CHICAGO (AP) – Surgery patients fared just as well when junior doctors worked longer than mandated hours in the first major rigorous test of regulations many physicians say hurt medical education. Nationwide limits on work hours were established more than a decade ago because of concerns that sleep-deprived medical residents were a threat to themselves […]

Cheap oil buoys consumers, shakes up global governments

Cheap oil will be sticking around for a while. That reality is wreaking havoc and causing uncertainty for some governments and businesses, while creating financial windfalls for others. Less expensive crude is delighting consumers in some regions, while leading to widespread job losses elsewhere. Oil has fallen from $107 to around $30 in the past […]