Dusti Ridge leans on her cane and waits patiently for her number to be called at Bread for the City, a food bank in southeast Washington, D.C. When she hears "56," she steps into the nonprofit group's pantry to find out what she'll be eating for the next week.

Kale, green peppers, yellow tomatoes, and dried cherriesperfect for a favorite brown rice recipego into her shopping bag. So does a whole chicken. But she passes on canned green beans; too much salt, she says.

Ridge, 62, has been coming to the food bank once a month for more than a decade, and takes pride in choosing "exotic" foods that some of the charity's clients avoidlike the venison that was donated recently after deer in a local park were culled.

Ridge is typical of millions of Americans who rely on food banks to survive: She is in poor health and lives on disability payments as she undergoes chemotherapy treatments for ovarian cancer. But as a nationwide study released Monday by the nonprofit group Feeding America makes clear, the number of people who rely on food pantries, soup kitchens, school lunch programs, senior citizens' Meals on Wheels deliveries, or other food initiatives to supplement their daily diet is a complex and growing mosaic that cuts across the nation's demographic lines.

About one in seven Americansmore than 46 million peoplerely on such programs to get by, according to the study, which involved confidential surveys of more than 60,000 recipients of food aid from groups affiliated with Feeding America, a network of 200 food banks that distribute donated food to programs in all 50 states.

The ranks of the hungry include 12 million children and 7 million seniors, plus millions more among the working poor, military families, the unemployed, and young college graduates. Those in each group said their reliance on food aid stemmed from a daily struggle to put healthy and nutritious food on the table when all that many can afford is inexpensive processed food that fuels a cycle of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

NG Staff. Source: Feeding America, Hunger in America National Report 2014.

The study, called Hunger in America 2014, comes nearly a year after the U.S. government reported that a record number of low-income Americansmore than 47 millionwere receiving food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The study by Feeding America found that just 55 percent of those who get aid from its affiliated programs also received food stamps. One in five said they had never applied to the federal food stamp program because they believed they wouldn't be eligible for such help.

The study's suggestion that perhaps 20 million or so people are receiving local food aid but are not getting federal food stamps indicates that the scope of America's hunger problem is likely well beyond the enrollment figures reported by any one aid programand could touch about one-fifth of the nation's population.

"Feeding America is feeding more people than ever before," said Maura Daly, a spokeswoman for the group. "The public-private partnership in addressing hunger in America is essential."

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Study Sheds Light on Broadening U.S. Hunger Problem

NEW YORK (The Deal) -- As part of its promise to streamline operations, Cameron International (CAM) said Monday it agreed to sell its centrifugal compression business to Ingersoll-Rand (IR) for $850 million.

The unit makes and provides services for centrifugal compressors in several industries around the world. It generated almost $400 million in sales last year and was expected to have Ebitda of $80 million next year. It employs 850.

Swords, Ireland-incorporated Ingersoll-Rand, which has its executive offices in Davidson, N.C., said separately that the acquisition will immediately boost earnings per share, Ebitda margins and return on invested capital and expand its compression offerings into air separation, petrochemicals, chemicals and process gas. It plans to fund the deal with cash on hand and debt.

"Cameron's centrifugal compression division offers complementary product, manufacturing and engineering strengths as well as financial synergies that make it a natural fit into our core business and will provide meaningful value to our shareholders," Ingersoll-Rand chairman CEO Michael Lamach said in a statement.

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Cameron Sheds Centrifugal Compression Business

Aug. 19, 2014, midnight

SENIOR firefighter breaks down in tears when asked if anything could have been done to save colleagues.

Craig Hore.

RELATED: Firefighter's angry reaction

A SENIOR firefighter broke down in tears yesterday when asked if anything could have been done to prevent the deaths of Steven Kadar and Katie Peters.

Craig Hore was one of the pairs bosses on February 13 last year when a 30-metre alpine ash tree fell on the roof of their vehicle.

Ive had 18 months to think about it, Mr Hore said in reply to the question from coroner John Olle.

Mr Hore was unable to say anything for a couple of minutes, prompting Mr Olle to briefly adjourn the inquest in Wodonga.

His tears prompted the dead mans mother, Jan Kadar, to also start sobbing.

After the break, Mr Hore who was the divisional commander for the western division of the Harrietville fire said he was fine to try to answer the question again.

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Boss sheds tears on witness stand

Chargers Jason Verrett runs a drill during practice.

Jason Verrett made a wardrobe change Monday.

It was a necessary precursor for his preseason debut.

The Chargers first-round cornerback practiced Monday without his usual red jersey. He was cleared to wear the standard blue, signaling he is close to making his first NFL appearance. It will come either Sunday versus the 49ers or the final exhibition game, Aug. 28 against the Cardinals.

A red jersey is used to indicate a limitation from contact.

Verrett, who had shoulder surgery in March, began wearing it Aug. 1.

Should he make his NFL debut Sunday, he'll do so close to home. He grew up in Fairfield, about 75 miles north of Levi's Stadium. He also grayshirted and played his freshman season at nearby Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to TCU.

Inside linebacker Manti Te'o (foot sprain) did not practice Monday.

Neither did wide receiver Vincent Brown (groin), nose tackle Sean Lissemore (ankle), safety Jahleel Addae (hamstring), cornerback Marcus Cromartie (groin), defensive end Lawrence Guy (shoulder), defensive end Damik Scafe, center Nick Hardwick and running back Kerwynn Williams.

Brown has missed the most time of the group. He was injured July 25, the second day of training camp.

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Jason Verrett sheds red jersey

The suspect spent time in the school district's agriculture barn before the fires broke out in the sheds outside.

WACO (August 15, 2014) An arrest has been made after a vandal set the fire that destroyed one storage shed and heavily damaged a second shed outside of the Midway ISDs $600,000 agriculture barn last month, Hewitt police Chief Jim Devin said.

Trenton Andrew Ortner, 26, was arrested Friday on arson charges, a second degree felony.

Ortner was identified after the Hewitt police department received an anonymous tip Tuesday.

The incident occurred on July 21st at Midway High School.

A fan in the barn was vandalized and the surveillance images show him hugging and petting, but not harming some of the animals inside.

The vandal set fire to the two storage sheds, which were built by students at a cost of $5,000 to $6,000 each, Midway ISD Superintendent Dr. George Kazanas said.

Police described the suspect as a tall white male with tattoos who was wearing a sleeveless black T-shirt known as a wife beater, and a ball cap.

The fire was reported at around 4:40 a.m. Thursday July 31 at the Midway ISD FFA Agricultural Science Instructional Facility at 10401 Panther Way.

Flames engulfed the sheds when the first crew arrived, Assistant Waco Fire Chief Patrick Kerwin said.

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Arrest Made After Fire Destroyed School Storage Sheds

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

14-Aug-2014

Contact: KC Gonzalez kc.gonzalez@utsa.edu 210-458-7555 University of Texas at San Antonio

In the coming years, increased troop withdrawals from the Middle East may result in greater numbers of combat veterans searching for jobs in the private sector. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, military veterans have numerous problems gaining and maintaining jobs in the U.S., and their unemployment rates are consistently higher than nonveterans.

To help solve this problem, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Business Ph.D. student in organization and management studies Christopher Stone is leading groundbreaking research on the factors affecting hiring decisions about veterans. The goal of this research is to uncover the issues that place limits on veterans' ability to secure jobs and to offer concrete solutions that both companies and veterans can take to help veterans enjoy a fulfilling work life.

"Despite the fact that there is documented proof that veterans have a much harder time finding and keeping jobs, there has been limited academic theory or research that focuses on understanding why this is happening and how to solve the problem," said Stone. "Stereotyping and a lack of understanding of how military skills transfer over to civilian roles are only a few of the factors that often prevent highly capable veterans from being hired."

Stone and his colleagues have expanded on a model of the factors affecting the treatment of persons with disabilities to explain the variables thought to influence employer decisions to hire veterans. These factors include: attributes of the veteran; attributes of the observer; nature of the job; degree to which raters perceive that military skills transfer to civilian jobs; and the perceived difference between role requirements in military and civilian organizational cultures.

Based on this model, they suggest that organizations and veterans can use these strategies to enhance their access to jobs:

Stone served in the Air Force for eight years, first in an aircraft maintenance unit overseas and then as a Military Training Instructor at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Independent and entrepreneurial in spirit, once he left the military in 2007 he opened a business near Lackland. In 2010, he sold the business and began his studies at UTSA.

Stone's experience is vastly different than many of his fellow veterans, who weren't able to find suitable jobs after leaving the military. Witnessing this first-hand is what motivated him to pursue this research.

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UTSA research sheds light on factors affecting veteran hiring

WASHINGTON A week after winning the Republican nomination to a seat in Congress, Birmingham lawyer David Trott appears to be getting out of the foreclosure business.

Trott, who soundly defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, R-Milford, in the Aug. 5 primary, announced today he is selling his stake in the family law firm, Trott & Trott, to its other partners.

I have not played a substantial role in either the leadership or operations of the law firm for several years, said Trott, who added that hes leaving the firm founded by his father in 1976 in good hands.

He may also be shedding a political liability: Throughout the primary campaign, Bentivolio and his allies carped about Trott & Trotts business as a real estate services firm and its work on behalf of lenders foreclosing on tens of thousands of Michigan homes in a single year.

The Free Press reported in May that Trotts firm had become the states biggest foreclosure law firm and one of the largest in the nation as the housing market went bust beginning in 2008.

Trotts opponent in the Nov. 4 general election, Democrat Bobby McKenzie, said today that Trott made tens of millions of dollars off the misfortune and misery of Michigans middle class ... and now hes set to make untold millions more by selling his stake.

The terms of the sale were not announced. A spokeswoman for the firm said the sale only includes his stake in Trott & Trott; however, not other companies he owns or has ownership in, which include related document and title businesses and legal publications.

Trott & Trott is a full-service real estate financial services firm, also offering litigation, bankruptcy and lender-owned property services. According to Trotts most recent financial disclosure form, filed in May, his stake in the firm was worth between $5 million and $25 million.

He was paid annual dividends from the firm worth between $1 million and $5 million and, in 2013, a salary of just under $1 million. In May, the Free Press put Trott and his wifes net worth at between $60 million and $205 million. (The value of assets are reported within a range on congressional disclosure forms, not in detail.)

Trotts campaign manager, Megan Piwowar, said Trott is making the move because he is focused on the campaign and remains proud of the jobs some 1,800, according to the campaign created over time by Trott & Trott and his other companies.

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Trott sheds stake in law firm tied to foreclosures

PATROLS have been stepped up at an allotment site in Redditch after sheds were targeted by vandals.

Offenders got into the allotments on Dolphin Road through a hedgerow on Saturday, August 2.

They broke the locks on a number of sheds but it is believed nothing was taken.

Barbara Nash, secretary of the allotment association, said the site had been accessed twice in the week and it was not uncommon.

This isnt the first time it has happened. It happens about twice a year and we think it is kids because it is usually during the school holidays, she said.

It is just a nuisance really because we have to get new locks every time.

No one has noticed that anything has been taken but some of the sheds are alarmed and it might have put them off from taking anything.

PC Richard Field, from West Mercia Police, said they working with Redditch Borough Council and allotment owners to put further security measures in place.

We will also be carrying out extra patrols within the area and are appealing for any information from the public that may assist with catching the guilty parties involved.

A spokeswoman from Redditch Borough Council added perimeter checks of the site were taking place while a contractor was also visiting the allotments.

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More patrols to cover allotments

Crude oil prices fell more than $2 a barrel on both sides of the Atlantic on Thursday, sunk by weak economic data hinting at softening oil demand and by ample supplies.

The U.S. crude contract retreated more than 50 cents in a minute as shares of the exchange-traded U.S. Oil Fund saw high-volume trading.

U.S. crude fell about 60 cents to a then session low of $96.03 between 10:50 and 10:51 a.m. EDT (1450 GMT).

At 10:51 a.m., almost 1 million USO shares traded in just one minute, more than a third of the average 60-day daily volume.

"The market had never been below $96.55 for the whole month of August. That was the final straw," said Rich Ilczyszyn, chief market strategist and founder of iitrader.com LLC in Chicago.

"Once we broke that low, people that are long the market exit the strategy. New sellers come in and get the ball rolling to the downside."

The United States Oil Fund LP is an exchange-traded security that tracks the daily prices of West Texas Intermediate light sweet crude oil, the company's website says.

U.S. crude quickly bounced off that low, before resuming the retreat. The contract settled down $2.01 at $95.58 a barrel.

Brent and U.S. crude futures were already pressured by weak European economic data and ample global oil supply, despite conflicts in Iraq and Libya.

Brent crude for delivery in September settled down $2.27 at $102.01 after dropping to a low of $101.92 , the lowest since July 2013.

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Brent Sheds $2; Oil ETF Shares Slide

MANILA - The head of the Commission on Audit team that investigated pork barrel allocations of lawmakers from 2007-2009 has shed more light on how pork barrel funds of Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile were used.

Prosecution witness Susan Garcia, head of the COA special audit team, said Enrile authorized his then chief of staff, Atty. Jessica "Gigi" Reyes, to sign documents that allocated his priority development assistance funds (PDAF) to several projects.

Reyes, in turn, authorized her deputy to transact with implementing agencies, which initiated the pork barrel projects.

Garcia testified that some of the suppliers that got Enrile's PDAF were either unlicensed or were holding office in a residential area. At least one NGO held office in a sari-sari store.

Enrile is facing plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan for allocating millions of pesos of his pork barrel to bogus NGOs of Janet Lim Napoles.

Garcia's testimony was done during the bail hearing of Janet Napoles at the Sandiganbayan Third Division. For lack of time, the prosecution moved for the continuance of Garcia's teatimony next week.

After the hearing, Napoles's lawyer Stephen David said in an ambush interview that there were 82 NGOs investigated in the COA special audit for 2007 to 2009 but only eight were linked to Mrs. Napoles.

He earlier told the court that this proves Napoles is not the pork barrel queen.

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COA sheds light on Enrile PDAF allocations