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National briefs: Accord is seen for Chicago teachers
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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Teachers Union said Thursday that the city's public schools will stay closed for at least one more day, but the union president said she was hopeful that both sides were close to completing a settlement to end the nearly weeklong strike.
The union called a special delegates meeting for this afternoon, when the bargaining team is scheduled to give an update on contract talks.
Negotiations resumed Thursday with an air of optimism. Union president Karen Lewis said students could be back in class by Monday, a week after 25,000 teachers walked out in the nation's third-largest school district.
NEW YORK -- New York City cracked down on the sale of supersized sodas and other sugary drinks Thursday in what was celebrated by some as a groundbreaking attempt to curb obesity.
Barring any court action, the measure barring drinks larger than 16 ounces will take effect in March.
The regulations, approved easily by the city Board of Health, apply to any establishment with a food-service license, including fast-food places, delis, movie and Broadway theaters and sports venues.
McLEAN, Va. -- USA Today, the nation's second-largest newspaper, is unveiling an overhaul of its printed and digital editions for the second time in less than two years.
USA Today's print version will introduce a redesign today. It changes the logo for the first time in its 30-year history and nearly doubles the number of pages that use color. Editors will also use color more often to do things such as highlight text in key portions of stories.
Meanwhile, Gannett Co.'s flagship national daily is changing the look and feel of its website and mobile apps. Readers will have to click or finger through pages as if they're perusing a digital magazine.
ATLANTA -- For exactly 90 years, it was thought El Azizia, Libya, had recorded the world's hottest temperature, 136 degrees on Sept. 13, 1922. Not so. A team of atmospheric scientists has concluded the reading is bogus after a comprehensive review
This means Death Valley (Greenland Ranch, Calif.), which saw the mercury soar to 134 degrees on July 10, 1913, now holds the distinction of having achieved the Earth's hottest temperature.
WASHINGTON -- In the aftermath of one of the worst recessions in history, more Americans have limited or no interaction with banks, instead relying on check cashers and payday lenders to manage their finances, according to a new federal report.
Not only are these Americans more vulnerable to high fees and interest rates, but they are also cut off from credit to buy a car or a home or pay for college, the report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Wednesday.
The study found that 821,000 households opted out of the banking system from 2009 to 2011 and that the "unbanked" population grew to 8.2 percent of U.S. households.
WASHINGTON -- The first work permits and deportation deferrals have been mailed to young illegal immigrants who applied under an Obama administration initiative that began last month.
More than 72,000 applications have been filed under the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, officials said. It's unclear how many have been approved.
-- Compiled from news services
First Published September 14, 2012 12:00 am
