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The Salt
3:50 pm
Fri April 5, 2013

Craft Beer-Crazy Oregon Poised To Name Official State Microbe

Originally published on Wed April 10, 2013 4:36 pm

A humble creature that has long toiled in obscurity for the benefit of humankind is poised to win a small measure of the distinction it deserves: designation as Oregon's official state microbe.

It looks to be the first microbe to gain official state recognition.

The microbe in question, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, plays a key role in the state's economy. Without it, sugar would not become alcohol, and Oregon would not have a craft beer industry worth $2.4 billion.

That's a lot of yeast.

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The Two-Way
3:49 pm
Fri April 5, 2013

Obama Apologizes To California AG Over 'Best Looking' Remark

Credit Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
California Attorney General Kamala Harris.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said today that President Obama called California Attorney General Kamala Harris to apologize.

Obama made waves Thursday during a fundraiser in which he referred to Harris' looks.

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Law
3:17 pm
Fri April 5, 2013

Experts: Prison Gang Reach Increasingly Extends Into Streets

Originally published on Fri April 5, 2013 4:47 pm

Prison violence is getting out of prison.

Authorities are looking into the possibility that white supremacist prison gangs may have been involved in a series of shootings of public officials in Colorado and Texas. If so, criminologists say, this would be part of a larger pattern of prison gangs extending their reach.

"Increasingly, these prison gangs are spilling out onto the streets," says Mark Potok, an editor with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.

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Shots - Health News
3:01 pm
Fri April 5, 2013

As Palliative Care Need Grows, Specialists Are Scarce

Credit Antonia Perez / MCT /Landov
Dr. Martha Twaddle talks to a patient and strokes her hair during a visit at the Midwest Palliative and Hospice CareCenter in Skokie, Ill., in 2012.

Baby boomers have never needed more care to ease their pain and suffering. But there simply aren't enough specialists to get the job done.

There's a shortfall of as many as 18,000 physicians focused on palliative care and hospice care. Right now, there are 5,150 hospice programs and 1,635 hospital palliative care teams in the U.S., according to the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

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The Two-Way
2:56 pm
Fri April 5, 2013

FAA Will Delay Closure Of 149 Air Traffic Control Towers Until June

The Federal Aviation Administration has decided to delay the closing of 149 airport control towers until mid-June.

The Obama administration said it needed to cut funding for the towers — mostly in small communities — because of $637 million in budget cuts mandated by law.

"This additional time will allow the agency to attempt to resolve multiple legal challenges to the closure decisions," the FAA said in a statement. "Extending the transition deadline will give the FAA and airports more time to execute the changes to the National Airspace System."

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