News Digest:
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 11:40 AM PDT
GOOD AFTERNOON
THE NATION
Retail gas hits record $3.50 a gallon as oil marches higher
NEW YORK (AP) — Rising gasoline prices tightened the squeeze on drivers Monday, jumping to an average $3.50 a gallon at filling stations across the country.
Crude oil, meanwhile, set a new record of its own, spiking after an attack on a Japanese oil tanker in the Middle East to close above $117 a barrel for the first time.
Diesel prices at the pump also struck a record high, of $4.20 a gallon, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service, putting pressure on truckers and other shippers who rely on the fuel to transport goods to market.
OREGON
Wyden promises Oregon National Guard support
SALEM (AP) — Senator Ron Wyden says he’s going to push for more support for the Oregon National Guard in Congress.
The Oregon Democrat made the commitment over the weekend at the 13th annual Oregon National Guard Ball and Officers Convention in Salem.
Wyden says the National Guard has been underfunded and underequipped for too long.
He says he supports proposed legislation that would update the GI Bill to provide National Guard members with benefits that are more in line with those of active-duty service members.
IDAHO
Health officials focus on keeping crypto in check
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Public health officials and private entities in southwest Idaho plan to deploy an array of weapons and rules to try to prevent another outbreak of a parasite-caused illness that sickened hundreds of swimmers last summer.
Cryptosporidiosis, or crypto, is caused by a microscopic protozoan that can lead to diarrhea, cramps, nausea and vomiting for about two weeks. It can be spread in water contaminated with human feces.
Typically, 40 cases of crypto are reported each year in Idaho. But in 2007, there were 514 cases. Of those, 241 were in Health District 4, which includes highly populated Ada County.
No one died, but 15 people had to be hospitalized.
