Bill looks to make safety a priority for FAA
Aviation safety should be a nonpartisan concern in Washington, D.C. — and, at least in Congress, that apparently is the case. What is troubling about the issue is that lawmakers believe they need to force the Federal Aviation Administration to implement needed reforms. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is promoting a bill they say is needed to force the FAA to do its job. They cite two concerns: complacency on FAA safety oversight of airlines — and relationships between agency officials and airlines that sometimes are too close. Democrats and Republicans involved in the campaign want to force the FAA to establish an independent Aviation Safety Whistleblower Investigation Office to probe complaints about safety. They also want to end the FAA’s practice of allowing airlines to choose which agency inspectors will check their operations.
» Full StoryCongress should lift drilling ban
You probably don’t remember the last time you saw headlines reporting an oil spill that threatened beaches in the United States. Neither do we.
But we all remember the last time we paid more than $4 a gallon for gasoline.
U.P. welcomes 107th back from Iraq
Last July, worries were plentiful as this area said goodbye to the 107th Engineer Battalion when the 120-plus service members departed for duty in Iraq.
» Full StoryDiplomacy will not work with Iran
Iranian leaders’ answer to anyone seeking to persuade or cajole them into ending work to develop nuclear weapons has been steadfast and uncompromising: No. Diplomatic initiatives by many nations and the United Nations have not worked.
» Full StorySen. Kerry tax comment backfires
Sen. John Kerry was trying to make a point unflattering to Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain fairly recently — but an examination of his comment does just the opposite.
» Full StoryTaliban, al-Qaida must go
Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists seem to be gaining strength in Afghanistan, and may have increased the tempo of their attacks in order to affect elections in the United States.
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