Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 70, Ed. 1 Friday, February 6, 2009 Page: 12 of 12
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Page 12 ■ Friday, February 6, 2009
Sweetwater Reporter
HISD students place second at Ull
The Highland ISD Junior High students participated in UIL meet held in Trent in December. Overall, the Highland
Junior High placed second at the district level. Shown are students in the eighth grade who received awards at the
school's recent UIL award ceremony. They are Preston Rowlett, Lora Stewart, Daniel Nelson, Brenden Huckabee,
Stephanie Ashford, Addison Crain and Kendal Mahoney.
Students in the seventh grade who received awards at HISD's recent UIL award cerenionv were Mitchel Taylor, Nathan
Hancock, Justin Culwell, Beth Richburg, Sierra Allen, Tarin Weldy, Cristina Natha, Kaden Nachlinger, Sophie Mice,
Morgan Monroe, Laramie Thompson and Micheal Hyde.
Students in the sixth grade who received awards at HISD's recent UIL award ceremony were Zack Cornett, Kevin Box,
Brandon Stevens, Britnee McDoncll, Faith Cagle, Mia Herrera, Kaleh Turney, Shelby*Howard, Kevin Pantoja, Kaylee
Martin, Gaga Wibowo, Tracer Jones, l.indsy Gonzales and Heather Crain.
New jobless claims jump
more than expected to 626K
BY CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - New jobless claims jumped
far more than expected last week in an already dismal
labor market, and there’s no relief in sight for workers
as mass layoffs persist.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that the
number of newly jobless workers seeking benefits rose
last week to a seasonally adjusted 626,000, from the
previous week's upwardly revised figure of 591,000.
The latest total is far more than analysts' expectations
of 583,000.
That's also the highest since October 1982, when the
economy was in a steep recession, though the work
force has grown by about half since then.
The numbers reflect the large spate of layoffs
announced last month by companies from all sectors of
the economy, including Caterpillar Inc., Pfizer Inc. and
Microsoft Corp.
Economists expect the government to issue a grim
report Friday that will show the unemployment rate
rose to 7.5 percent in January, up from 7.2 percent in
December. That would be the highest rate in 17 years.
The housing slump and financial crisis have ham-
mered spending by businesses and consumers, send-
ing the economy into a recession that is expected to
continue until at least the second half of this year.
The recession's impact was visible in other economic
data Thursday. Factory orders fell by 3.9 percent in
December, the Commerce Department said, a record
fifth straight drop.
For all of 2008, orders for everything from autos to
computers to food rose by only 0.4 percent, the weak-
est showing since orders actually fell by 1.8 percent in
2002.
Meanwhile, many retailers reported dismal January
sales. The malaise crossed the spectrum of retailing,
from department store chains to teen clothing chains.
Wet Seal Inc., Stage Stores Inc. and Children's Place
Retail Stores Inc. were among those posting deeper-
than-expected sales declines.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer,
was a notable exception, reporting sales that heat Wall
Street's forecast, as shoppers continued to focus on
necessities like groceries.
The financial markets were mixed in response to the
news. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 63
points, or about 0.8 percent, in morning trading, while
the Nasdaq rose slightly.
Laid-off workers are having a harder time landing
new jobs as companies impose hiring freezes in addi-
tion to job cuts.
The number of people that remained on the unem-
ployment compensation rolls increased slightly to
nearly 4.8 million, the Labor Department said, most
since records began in 1967. The continuing claims
data lags the number of new claims bv one week.
As a proportion of the work force, the number of
people receiving unemployment benefits is at the high-
est level since August 1982. But that doesn't include an
additional 1.7 million people receiving unemployment
insurance through an extension of benefits Congress
approved last year, which brings the total to about 6.5
million.
The extension provides up to 33 additional weeks of
benefits, on top of the 26 weeks typically provided by
states.
The Labor Department said in a separate report that
productivity rose at an annual rate of 3.2 percent in the j
final three months of last year, far above the 1.1 per-
cent rise that economists had expected.
Productivity, which is the amount of output per hour 1
of work, jumped because the number of hours worked
; during the period plunged faster than output declined.
That reflected the massive wave of layoffs that
occurred during the fourth quarter.
Unit labor costs, meanwhile, edged up at a 1.8 per- ’
cent annual rate, far lower than the 2.9 percent rise |
that had been forecast. The results underscored how
the deepening recession has removed the threat of
inflation.
The layoffs continued Thursday with cosmetics
maker Estee Lauder Cos. saying its fiscal second-quar-
ter profit fell 30 percent and it plans to begin a four-
year restructuring plan that will include cutting 2,000
staffers, or 6 percent of the work force. The company
will also continue its hiring freeze.
On Wednesday, Botox maker Allergan Inc. and Time
Warner Inc.'s cable division announced large job cuts.
A day earlier, PNC Financial Services Group, airplane
maker Hawker Beechcraft Corp., Liz Claiborne Inc.,
King Pharmaceuticals Inc. and aerospace company
Rockwell Collins Inc. announced layoffs. General
Motors Corp., meanwhile, said it will offer buyouts to
all of its hourly workers.
Macy's Inc. said Monday that it would eliminate 7,00
jobs.
Associated Press Writers Martin Crutsinger and
Anne P'lnnocen/Ao contributed to this report.
Home Safety Council urges families to prepare in advance for disaster
(Family Features) Tornados, hurricanes, wildfire, earthquakes,
flooding, fires and human-caused disasters often happen unexpect-
edly, leaving families no time to prepare to evacuate or to stay in
their own home. The Home Safety Council (HSC) is urging families
to make a communications plan and assemble readiness kits now,
in order to be ready for the unexpected later.
A recent HSC survey found that while more than half of survey
respondents (58 percent) have experienced a disaster first-hand,
very few have taken action to prepare for an emergency. In fact,
only 25 percent of those polled have assembled kits with basic
emergency supplies including water, food and clothing.
"When a disaster occurs, it's already too late to make an emer-
gency plan, said Meri-K Appy, Home Safety Council president.
'The time to get ready is now. By investing a few minutes today,
families will have the knowledge, supplies and the plan needed to
safely and securely make it through any type of emergency situa-
tion."
10 help families get ready, HSC offers these tips and resources:
Family Communications Flan:
I alk with your family about the kinds of disasters that can occur
in your area and make a family communications plan that includes:
Places in and out ol town where you and your family could
meet.
* Phone numbers of in-town contacts.
' An address and phone number of someone out of town (either
a friend or relative).
* A card for each family member to keep with them with this
information.
"Ready to Go" Kit:
Keep the following items in a backpack or duffle bag in case an
emergency forces you to leave home.
* One gallon of water per person
* A small amount of cash
* Food that does not have to be refrigerated
* A manual can opener
* Plastic/paper plates, cups and utensils
* Flashlight and extra batteries
* Battery-operated radio and extra batteries
* Change of clothes
* Card with your contact information and the number of some-
one out of state to call
* Pet food and supplies for one or more days; and leash or carri-
er
* Small first aid kit
* Personal hygiene items, soap and hand sanitizer
Imporiant: Plan ahead for family members who take medicines
and wear eyeglasses, hearing aids, dental appliances, etc., making
sure they are ready to take these essential items in case of an emer-
gency. Rather than storing these items in your "Ready-to-Go" Kit, it
may make sense to store them in the same area as the Kit. For fam-
ilies with young children, it's very important to keep all medicines
locked up.
"Ready-to-Stay" Kit:
In case an emergency situation forces you to remain in the home
for several days, prepare a "Ready-to-Stay" Kit that includes the
items in the "Ready-to-Go" Kit, plus the following additional items
stored in a large sturdy container:
" Three gallons of water for each family memlier
* Canned food and snacks for at least three days
* Toilet paper
* Non-seented bleach
* Blankets
Create an emergency communications plan that includes a
phone number and address for an out of town friend or rel-
ative.
* Books and games to keep busy
* Paper and pencils
For more information on how to be prepared, visit the use's
new, interactive safety destination, www.mysafehome.org.
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Rodriguez, Tatiana. Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 70, Ed. 1 Friday, February 6, 2009, newspaper, February 6, 2009; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth577226/m1/12/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.