In a webcast and press release Wednesday morning, the US Census Bureau announced that 8.8 million Americans received health insurance last year- dropping the number of uninsured Americans to around 33 million people.
“The percentage of people without health insurance coverage for the entire 2014 calendar year was 10.4 percent, down from 13.3 percent in 2013,” A government press release said.
The data was first reported by the New York Times.
Read the full release and longer report here: http://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-157.html
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Military Blimp On The Loose And Drifting Over Pennsylvania
Update: 3:35 PM EST
A Baltimore TV station is reporting that the blimp is on the ground in an unpopulated area of Millville Pennsylvania.
From WBAL:
“Around 3:15 p.m., NORAD officials told WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Kim Dacey that the blimp was on the ground in an unpopulated area of Millville, Pennsylvania.”
The Baltimore Sun is reporting that a military blimp has come loose from its mooring in Maryland and is now drifting over Pennsylvania.
The blimp is reportedly connected with NORAD’s surveillance of the East Coast of the United States.
Two fighter jets from a nearby National Guard base are tracking the untethered Army blimp according to information from NORAD.
Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA has cancelled classes for the day due to a “widespread” power outage. There have been multiple reports that the blimp’s tether knocked out power in parts of the town.
Rise News talked to a spokesperson at the University who said that there was a large outage in the area but could not confirm if it was related to the blimp.
#BUAlert: Classes are cancelled until 4 p.m. due to widespread power outage. More details to follow.
— BloomsburgUniversity (@BloomsburgU) October 28, 2015
The blimp is really more of a stationary helium filled balloon called a Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System aerostat or JLENS. From Raytheon, a company that produces the JLENS: “The helium filled aerostats, each nearly as long as a football field, carry powerful radars that can protect a territory roughly the size of Texas from airborne threats.” WATCH: A video from Raytheon explaining how JLENS work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8hkpQ8ujyM&app=desktop
Two F16 fighter jets from Atlantic City National Guard base are tracking the untethered Army blimp from Aberdeen Proving Ground–NORAD — cbsMcCormick (@cbsMcCormick) October 28, 2015
Stay with Rise News as this story will be updated
The blimp from @USAGAPG has come off its tether. If you see it on the ground, call 911. Here’s what it looks like. pic.twitter.com/mRHhpJdfHU — Joppa-Magnolia VFC (@jmvfc8) October 28, 2015
@ABC @GMA Landed in bloomsburg right by my school. Knocked out the power at CMVT. pic.twitter.com/WLJydKVf2I — Fisher P Creasy (@FPCreasy) October 28, 2015
BREAKING NEWS: The blimp has been spotted over Bloomsburg, PA. (@JonMeyerWNEP) https://t.co/D36Qx21K9I pic.twitter.com/Phr8LnR1M0
— Breaking News Feed (@PzFeed) October 28, 2015
Cover Photo Credit: Raytheon/ Youtube (Screenshot)
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You Can Donate To Support The Victims Of The Orlando Mass Shooting
The mass shooting in Orlando has taken at least 50 lives and over 50 more people are still fighting to survive in area hospitals.
You can make a difference.
Equality Florida, an LGBT civil rights organization has opened up a GoFundMe page to raise money to support the victims of the attack.
From the group:
“We are reeling from the tragic news that a gunman opened fire on the 2am capacity crowd at Pulse leaving 50 people dead and over 50 injured according to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
We are heartbroken and angry that senseless violence has once again destroyed lives in our state and in our country.
Gay clubs hold a significant place in LGBTQ history. They were often the only safe gathering place and this horrific act strikes directly at our sense of safety. June commemorates our community standing up to anti-LGBTQ violence at the Stonewall Inn, the nightclub that has become the first LGBTQ site recognized as a national monument.
We have received a steady stream of emails and messages from those seeking to help or to make sense of the senseless. We make no assumptions on motive. We will await the details in tears of sadness and anger. We stand in solidarity and keep our thoughts on all whose lives have been lost or altered forever in this tragedy.”
As of 12:00 PM EST, over $21,000 has been raised out of a goal of $100,000.
Cover Photo Credit: Tim Evanson/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Judge Orders Jail To Kentucky Clerk Who Denied Same-Sex Marriage Licenses
A Kentucky clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples was taken into custody for contempt of court earlier today.
“The idea of natural law superceding this court’s authority would be a dangerous precedent indeed,” U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning told Davis, according to the Washington Post’s report.
Rown County clerk Kim Davis harbored national notoriety over her refusal to comply with the Supreme Court order to allow same-sex marriage licenses. Davis said that issuing same-sex marriage licenses would violate her faith, so she ordered her employees to deny all marriage licenses, whether they were same-sex or not.
Her supporters applauded her decision, viewing the federal government’s legalization of same-sex marriage a violation of freedom of religion. However, others viewed her defiance as a violation of fundamental human rights.
In February, Davis issued a marriage license to a transgender couple despite refusing to marry same-sex couples. Camryn and Alexis Colen, who identify as pansexual, had their marriage license issued on February 26 by Davis, who did not ask for Camryn’s birth certificate. Camryn, a transgender man, still has female marked on his birth certificate.
Legislative leaders in Kentucky called for a compromise for same-sex couples to be married in Rowan County without asking Davis to compromise her faith, and not hold her in contempt until they found a resolution.
It is not immediately clear how long Davis will spend in jail.
Cover Photo Credit:David Goehring/Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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