Tip Thumper

 Johnny Duckworth (Thumper) found $3,000.00 cash on the floor at Randy's Southside Diner on Orchard Mesa on 12/15/2015 and tured it in without a second thought . Thumper has worked at Randy's as a Busboy for the last 9 years. Thumper is a great guy. He would give his last dollar out of his pocket to anyone that needed it, even though he doesn't have much himself. What an honest guy, finds $3,000 cash on the floor with no witnesses and turns it in. That's the kind of employee I wish all of my employees were. We are trying to raise money for Thumper to help them out through his hard times. His car has broken down and he lives house to house with friends and family. He doesn't have enough money to get into his own house because of the doctor bills he's aquired that garnish his paycheck every week.Thumper works about 25 hours a week at the diner. He would work more hours if they were available. This is a good guy who works very hard and that has truly fallen onto hard times. Please help Thumper get through these hard times with any donation you can give. Thank you!

 2.2K SHARES Share Tweet Donate COPY, PASTE & SHARE: https://www.gofundme.com/fsfhh5r8

 What is GoFundMe? ||||| UPDATE: The "Tip Thumper" GoFundMe page set up to reward Johnny "Thumper" Duckworth for his good deed and help him pay off his debts has now exceeded their listed goal of $3,000 in donations. You can leave your "tip" by clicking the link to the right.

 ORIGINAL STORY:

 The hustle and bustle of a local diner. As American as apple pie and a cheeseburger.

 And it's at Randy's Southside Diner in Orchard Mesa you find regulars like Darrell Cox, and hard working people like Johnny "Thumper" Duckworth making the experience pleasant and comfortable.

 But these two men now share a connection beyond the prototypical "have a nice day."

 Flashback to Tuesday, when Cox came in for breakfast and sat down at booth number 10. He paid and left, not realizing he forgot something very important behind.

 Around this time Johnny was talking to his boss, owner Randy Emmons.

 "He's worked for me for 9 years," Emmons said. He's one of the hardest working guys I've ever met."

 "it's usually more than what I do work for," Duckworth said. "But that's OK I like it I love my job."

 Johnny went about collecting dishes, washing them, and checking the house to make sure the diner was spotless...

 "I was coming around here to check around like I always do, I wanted to look in the bathroom," Duckworth said.

 That's when Duckworth says while coming out from cleaning the bathroom he noticed behind booth number 10 an envelope. Inside was an ATM deposit slip and $3,000 in cash.

 Just laying on the floor, dead as a door knob just laying there," Duckworth said. "So I picked it up and the boss was standing right (there).

 "He walked up to me and said 'Boss I found this envelope it feels like it has a lot of money in it,'" Emmons said. "And he handed it to me and walked away."

 And I opened the envelope up and there was 30 $100 bills," Emmons adds. "I couldn't believe it I was shocked."

 Shocked by the amount...but also knowing that money is something Johnny desperately needs.

 "Right now he's riding his bike back and forth to work," Simmons Said. "He lives on 32 Road and we're on 27 Road, and it is winter."

 He also gets his paycheck garnished for medical bills he had to have.

 But the thought of pocketing the cash never crossed Johnny's mind.

 "It's not mine," Duckworth insists. "I work for a living I make money."

 Randy took the cash and the slip to Vectra Bank where clerks quickly realized it belonged to someone who had no idea he even lost it. Darrell Cox.

 "The bank called and I was like why is the bank calling me to tell me they have my money when I just got the money," Cox said. "So I went to the bank and they told me Randy brought it in."

 But Randy and Johnny had no idea who it belonged to until Thursday...when Darrell came back to his regular spot.

 "He was here at the counter and I was back at the booth with one of my grandsons," Cox said. "I wrote him a note on the back of an envelope ... It said Merry Christmas to a super honest guy."

 His nephew came with the same envelope that had the $3,000 in it," Duckworth said. "Gave me $300 out of it.... gave me some heart."

 The same can be said for Darrell.

 "Makes me feel a lot better about people knowing there are a lot of honest people out here," Cox said emotionally. "Like I said I never have known where it went, I would have never had a clue." ||||| A struggling Colorado busboy who returned $3,000 in cash that he found on the floor is getting rewarded with a big tip.

 As of Monday, people impressed with Johnny Duckworth's honesty have raised more than $3,800 through gofundme.com.

 He found the cash Tuesday at Randy's Southside Diner in Grand Junction, and handed it over to his boss, Randy Emmons.

 The money was in an envelope behind a booth. There was also a bank ATM slip inside, and the bank was able to return the money to its owner, who gave Duckworth a $300 tip.

 Emmons told KKCO-TV that Duckworth rides his bike to work, and his paycheck is garnished for medical bills.

 Duckworth says he never thought of keeping the money, saying "I work for a living."

 Click for more from Fox 31. |||||

Write a summary.

– A Colorado busboy who's low on cash and dealing with medical issues didn't let his own woes stop him from doing the right thing. Johnny Duckworth found $3,000 Tuesday in an envelope that had fallen behind a booth at Randy's Southside Diner in Grand Junction, the AP reports. But while he could have pocketed the money, Duckworth headed right to owner Randy Emmons. "He ... said, 'Boss, I found this envelope, it feels like it has a lot of money in it,'" Emmons tells KKCO. "And he handed it to me and walked away. … I was shocked." Shocked not only at the 30 $100 bills inside, but also at Duckworth's integrity, considering his own circumstances: On the GoFundMe page Emmons set up to raise money for his star employee, who he says has worked at Randy's for nine years, he notes Duckworth's car is broken down and that he relies on others for housing, lacking the cash for his own place "because of the doctor bills he's [acquired] that garnish his paycheck every week." An ATM slip inside the envelope allowed a local bank to track the $3,000 back to diner regular Darrell Cox, who had no idea he even left the money behind until the bank called. He showed back up at the diner on Thursday to scribble a note to Duckworth that said, "Merry Christmas to a super honest guy," Cox tells KKCO. He also gave Duckworth a $300 "tip" for his honesty. But Duckworth doesn't think what he did was a big deal. "It's not mine," he says, per the station. "I work for a living; I make money." Emmons raves on the GoFundMe page, which has already racked up more than $11,500 as of this publication, that this attitude for the worker nicknamed "Thumper" isn't unusual. "Thumper is a great guy," Emmons writes. "He would give his last dollar out of his pocket to anyone that needed it, even though he doesn't have much himself. … That's the kind of employee I wish all of my employees were." (Similarly honest workers turned in a bag containing $32,000.)


Article:
Please enable Javascript to watch this video

 OKLAHOMA CITY-- The attorney representing the woman arrested in the deadly OSU homecoming parade crash says she was not intoxicated and suffers from mental illness.

 Adacia Chambers, 25, is charged in connection with plowing her car into a crowd of people watching the end of the OSU homecoming parade Saturday morning. Dozens were injured and 4 died as a result of the crash.

 Tony Coleman spoke Sunday and says he spent a little over an hour with Chambers Saturday night.

 He says she was arrested under the suspicion of Driving Under the Influence and thinks that was the appropriate move on the part of law enforcement. Coleman says he is trained in DUI and DWI detection and says his client did not suffer from any of the normal signs of having been drunk or under the influence of drugs. Investigators are still waiting for the toxicology results.

 After spending time with her, Coleman says, "I was not satisfied that I was communicating with a competent person. Miss Chambers suffers from mental illness, as to what type has yet to be determined."

 He admits he is not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but he has experience and understands the warning signs of mental illness.

 Coleman says the first thing he will ask for is a psychiatric evaluation and a competency hearing.

 Coleman says the night before the crash she was taking part in the OSU homecoming tradition known as 'Walk Around' where people walk through neighborhoods admiring decorations. She was with her grandmother and aunt. They say she did not have any alcohol or take any other kind of substance.

 She worked at a fast-food restaurant and left for work early so she could arrive for her 9:00 A.M. shift on time Saturday morning. He says she did but within about an hour something happened and he is unclear on the events as is his client. He says she cannot remember much of what happened after that until the end of the crash. She does remember being removed from the car and cooperating with police.

 Coleman says she and her boyfriend have a good relationship and he says she could be diabetic but is not being treated for it.

 He says the Chambers family is devastated. He says their thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this tragedy. ||||| (CNN) The woman accused of driving under the influence and plowing her car into a crowd of spectators at an Oklahoma State University homecoming parade also faces murder charges, police said Sunday.

 Adacia Chambers is being held in jail on four counts of second-degree murder for Saturday's deadly crash, which killed four people and injured dozens more. If convicted, she could face life in prison, police said.

 Chambers, 25, is set to appear in court on Monday, the Stillwater Police Department said in a statement.

 The Saturday crash at the Oklahoma State University parade killed a toddler, a graduate student and a couple who'd worked at the school for decades, officials said.

 It also injured dozens of people, including 11 victims younger than 13.

 Injured victims' families await word

 A day later, family members of the injured waited for word as their loved ones underwent surgeries and medical tests.

 "It's been a crazy 24 hours," Mark McNitt said, tearing up as he told reporters about the crash and its aftermath. One minute, McNitt was standing beside his stepfather, 54-year-old Leo Schmitz, near the end of the parade route. The next minute, he said, things were so chaotic it seemed like a bomb had gone off.

 "All I remember is a gush of wind, and then the sound. Leo, who was standing next to me, wasn't standing next to me. He was off to the side," McNitt said.

 Now his stepfather is one of four patients who remain in critical condition, while family members keep vigil. McNitt described his injuries as severe, but he praised doctors for their care and people from across the state for coming together during the tragedy.

 "We missed the game," he said, "but we feel the love, and we'll get through this."

 A family mourns

 Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis called the crash an "incomprehensible tragedy." In a statement, the school said three of the victims were "members of the OSU family."

 Marvin Stone, 65, was a retired professor and researcher in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. His 65-year-old wife, Bonnie, had worked for the university for more than 30 years as "an unselfish and dedicated employee" in Institutional Research and Information Management, the school said.

 Another employee at the school, Nicollete Strauch, survived the crash, but her 2-year-old son Nash was killed, the university said. Strauch, who is a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering and works in parking and transit, is recovering from injuries and devastated by her son's death, officials said.

 In a statement, the president of the University of Central Oklahoma said one of the people killed was Nikita Nakal, an MBA student from Mumbai, India. Police named a victim as 23-year-old Nakita Prabhakar.

 "While our thoughts and prayers are with the Oklahoma State University community tonight following the tragic events during OSU's homecoming parade this morning, it is with deep sadness that I ask you to extend those sentiments to the family and friends of one of our own students," wrote President Don Betz. "Our students come to Central with their unique goals, hopes and dreams, and Nikita was undoubtedly no different."

 She had been attending Saturday's parade with friends, Hargis said.

 Of the 47 people treated after the crash, 17 remained hospitalized and four were in critical condition Sunday, officials said. Eleven of those treated for injuries were 13 and younger, including a 1-year-old, a 3-year-old and four 6-year-olds, Stillwater police said.

 'I flew over some strollers'

 Chambers allegedly drove her 2014 Hyundai Elantra into an unmanned police motorcycle before careening into the crowd of spectators.

 The deadly crash occurred at 10:31 a.m., just hours before the school's centerpiece homecoming event -- a football game between the nationally ranked, undefeated OSU Cowboys and the University of Kansas -- and only two blocks from the soon-to-be jampacked, 50,000-capacity Boone Pickens Stadium.

 The festive homecoming scene quickly turned into one of horror.

 "I can't describe it any more clearly than this: people flying in the air," OSU graduate student Paul Sims said of the moment of impact.

 Student Kailey Carter told CNN affiliate KJRH she saw something black coming toward her.

 "I didn't know what it was at first, so I just got up and ran," Carter said. "The car hit me as it was stopping, and then I flew over some strollers."

 Another witness, Geoff Haxton, said he was about 100 yards from the crash site.

 "All there was was smoke and panic. Half the emergency personnel in the county were here," Haxton said. "People were running. (My) first instinct was to get my kids away from the street."

 Madison Atwell, 7, had six broken ribs, a concussion and stitches after the crash, her family said in a statement released through a hospital spokesman.

 Her aunt, Julie Franklin, was not at the parade but said the young girl had a guardian angel, with a woman at the scene pushing her out of the way as the car drove into the crowd.

 That guardian angel was one of the people who was killed in the crash, Franklin told KJRH.

 Madison's mother, Tasha, said on Facebook that her daughter had gone to the parade with her grandmother and aunt "to experience homecoming cowboy style."

 Instead of seeing her first OSU football game, Madison had her first helicopter ride, to the hospital, her mother said.

 Game goes on

 After careful deliberation, officials decided to let the football game proceed, Hargis said.

 Oklahoma State University is saddened by the tragic parade incident earlier this morning. Our thoughts & prayers are with those affected. — Oklahoma State Univ. (@okstate) October 24, 2015

 Before the game, the OSU football team knelt in solemn prayer at the 25-yard line.

 Fox Sports sportscaster Tim Brando described the pregame atmosphere as "the kind of somber feeling" that he'd never had before. ||||| 'Nobody knew what was going on'

 Sunday, October 25, 2015 | By Matt Dinger Staff writer mdinger@oklahoman.com

 Sunday, October 25, 2015 | By Matt Dinger Staff writer mdinger@oklahoman.com

 Two hours after kissing her boyfriend goodbye and leaving for work Saturday morning, a 25-year-old Stillwater woman found herself in handcuffs, accused of mowing down a crowd at the Oklahoma State University homecoming parade, injuring dozens and killing four.

 Adacia Avery Chambers is being held on four complaints of second-degree murder and driving under the influence of drugs.

 Alcohol is not believed to be involved in the crash, Payne County District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas said Sunday.

 Chambers has not been charged. She is expected to face a judge Monday afternoon.

 “I don't believe right now that she was intoxicated,” said Chambers' attorney, Tony Coleman.

 “I have deep concerns about her competency at this point. I'm not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I can tell you she's suffering from mental illness,” Coleman said.

 An expert in alcohol intoxication, Coleman believes that his client suffered a blackout caused by underlying physical or mental problems.

 Her boyfriend, Jesse Gaylord, told him that she suffers from diabetes, but is not being treated or medicated for the condition, Coleman said. She also reportedly suffers from insomnia and had not slept for three days before the crash.

 Gaylord also reportedly interrupted two attempts by Chambers to slash her wrists, Coleman said, but doesn't think the incident was intentional or a suicide attempt.

 Chambers' mother also reportedly suffers from bipolar disorder and has been hospitalized in the past due to her illness, Coleman said.

 Coleman said he's met with people who saw Chambers the night before, the morning of and just before the incident. No one saw her drink alcohol or take drugs, he said.

 Gaylord told CBS News that Chambers left work at Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburger about a half-mile from the scene early, but he isn't sure why.

 "She's a really nice girl. Hasn't shown anything, I mean... I got her up this morning and gave her a hug and kiss and she made it to work," Gaylord said.

 Chambers reportedly left the restaurant a short time after arriving for work. A witness said she appeared to be crying, but was not unsteady on her feet as she walked down a street away from the restaurant, according to the Stillwater NewsPress.

 What happened over the course of the next hour leading up to the crash is unknown even to Chambers, Coleman said.

 "There's an area there when she doesn't remember much of anything," he said.

 She did not remember the events leading up to the crash or the wreck itself, but recalls people pulling her out of the vehicle's wreckage, Coleman said.

 When he met with his client Saturday night, Coleman said Chambers gave "inappropriate" answers to some questions and lacked emotion at moments it would be expected.

 "People who know her talk of a different Adacia than the one I met," Coleman said.

 What happened

 At 10:31 a.m., a 2014 Hyundai Elantra traveling southbound on North Main Street at a high rate of speed crashed into an unmanned police motorcycle and continued into a crowd near the end of the parade route at North Main and Hall of Fame Avenue, just a few blocks east of the university's football stadium.

 The aftermath left four dead and about four dozen hurt, several critically.

 Dead are retired OSU professor Marvin Lyle Stone, 65; Stone's wife, Bonnie Lynn Stone, also 65 and a longtime OSU employee; Nikita Nakal, 23, a University of Central Oklahoma graduate student from Mumbai, India; and 2-year-old Nash Lucas, the son of an OSU sophomore chemistry major who also works for the university's Parking and Transit Services.

 Several dozen others were treated at hospitals across the state. Several were admitted, including five who were critically injured.

 During a news conference Sunday afternoon at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, OSU alumnus Mark McNitt, of Houston, described seeing his stepfather, Leo Schmitz, injured during the crash. McNitt said he felt a gush of wind, then heard a boom, followed by screams.

 “Leo, who was standing next to me, wasn't standing next to me,” McNitt said.

 McNitt, 49, suffered a relatively minor injury to his calf, he said. But Schmitz's injuries were more severe. He was taken by helicopter to OU Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition Sunday evening.

 McNitt said he spoke publicly about the crash because he wanted to give victims like his stepfather a face. McNitt described him as a “good guy, everybody loves him. He would do anything for you. He loves horses and works hard. He's a family guy, loves to have a good time. Any opportunity to see a Cowboy football game, he's there.”

 Never could McNitt have imagined what happened instead.

 “The only thing I can relate it to is maybe some type of bombing. Nobody knew what was going on. All we were really concerned with was our family and friends and everybody that was injured.”

 Still wearing the OSU Cowboys shirt and Pistol Pete baseball cap he'd worn to the parade the previous day, McNitt said the family had barely managed to snatch a couple of hours of sleep since the crash, he said. Hospital staff did a good job of keeping the family abreast of Schmitz's situation, he said.

 “It's been a crazy 24 hours,” McNitt said, beginning to tear up. "Everybody kept a cool head. I think Leo and the rest of the families and children are in the best hands that they can be.”

 Odd twist

 Also injured was the parent of an Oologah High School band member, who came to watch the band march in the parade, said Oologah Superintendent Max Tanner.

 The band had completed the route before the crash occurred, Tanner said, and had gathered in Strickland Park, which is adjacent to the crash site at the corner of Hall of Fame Avenue and N Main Street. Band members didn't see the crash, he said, but a band member's mother was injured in the crash, Tanner said.

 In an odd twist, Chambers, the driver, is a graduate of Oologah High School. Tanner said Chambers was a member of the band for four years.

 Counselors will be available Monday morning for students or adults who need to talk, Tanner said. Oologah residents have handled tragedies in the past, he said. Among them was an F4 tornado that devastated the community in 1991. Those experiences have taught the town how to cope with challenges like this one, he said.

 "They come together," he said. "Through prayer, family and friends, they get through everything.”

 Without bail

 An employee at the Freddy's, where Chambers worked, hung up the phone when contacted by a reporter Sunday. Attempts to reach the restaurant's owner were unsuccessful.

 "Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Cowboy community and everyone affected by the event that occurred Saturday morning. We are deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy and our Stillwater franchise restaurant is cooperating fully with law enforcement officials," Freddy's corporate spokeswoman, Alexanda Pearce, wrote in a prepared statement.

 Police initially arrested Chambers on the DUI complaint, but Thomas, the district attorney, asked them to add four manslaughter complaints. On Sunday morning, investigators filed an affidavit to change those complaints to second-degree murder, according to a police press release issued Sunday evening.

 Chambers remains in Payne County jail without bail.

 Contributing: Staff writers Darla Slipke, Silas Allen, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Juliana Keeping and Phillip O'Connor |||||Summary:

– The woman accused of driving into an Oklahoma State University homecoming parade is clearly mentally ill and has no memory of the crash that killed four people and injured dozens more, her lawyer says. "I have deep concerns about her competency at this point," attorney Tony Coleman tells the Oklahoman. "I'm not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I can tell you she's suffering from mental illness." Coleman says he believes 25-year-old Adacia Chambers suffered some kind of blackout because of her illness and has no memory of the crash or of the hour leading up to it, during which she left her job at a fast-food restaurant soon after arriving. Three adults and a 2-year-old boy were killed in the crash, and four of the 47 people injured are in critical condition, CNN reports. Chambers has been charged with four counts of second-degree murder. She also faces a DUI charge, but Coleman says nobody saw her drink or take drugs before the incident and she showed no sign of having been under the influence when he first saw her on Saturday, though he says he wasn't satisfied he was dealing with "a competent person," KFOR reports. The lawyer says he has spoken to her boyfriend, who told him she has diabetes but isn't being treated for it, and that she also suffers from insomnia and didn't sleep for three days before the crash, per the Oklahoman. Coleman says the boyfriend has told him Chambers has attempted suicide before, but he doesn't believe she was trying to kill herself when she allegedly plowed into the OSU crowd.


Article:
Showing a new conciliatory tone, Senate leaders opened congressional business Thursday by suggesting that a bipartisan compromise might come soon on a spending measure to keep the government running past Friday and a bill to extend a one-year cut in the payroll tax rate paid by 160 million workers.

 Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who has been holding up a $1 trillion spending measure that would fund much of the government through next September, said he believes both issues can be resolved “in the next few days.”

 Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) likewise said that he and Reid have been in talks about how to move forward and that he is “confident and optimistic” about an agreement.

 The government would face a partial shutdown at midnight Friday unless Congress resolves its latest spending battle.

 “We’ve done enough back and forth — the Republican leader and me staking out our positions, and our positions are fairly clear to the American people,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “What we’re going to try to do during the next few hours is work toward resolving some of the outstanding issues.”

 Speaking Thursday at the White House, President Obama said Congress must solve the payroll tax issue and get a funding bill in place before adjourning for the holidays.

 But he did not address whether a compromise is emerging or whether he has withdrawn objections to the pending spending measure.

 “Congress cannot and should not go on vacation before they have made sure that working families aren’t seeing their taxes go up by $1,000 and those who are out there looking for work don’t see their unemployment insurance expire,” he said. “There’s no reason the government should shut down over this, and I expect all of us to do what’s necessary in order to do the people’s business and make sure it’s done before the end of the year.”

 Overnight, House leaders advanced a spending bill that had been negotiated by Republicans and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee. Democratic leaders have kept the measure from moving forward after the White House expressed lingering concerns with some of the bill’s provisions and said it wanted Congress to agree to extend the tax cut first.

 By filing the bill, the House indicated it would push ahead with the measure even without Democratic support.

 Reid said Thursday that such House action would be a mistake. But he called the remaining Democratic concerns with the spending measure “resolvable” and “small in number” and said Congress is getting closer to a deal.

 The Senate leaders’ apparent optimism comes after negotiations over how to extend the tax holiday and avoid a government shutdown ground to a halt Wednesday.

 With a Friday deadline fast approaching, the threat of a shutdown grew more urgent. Cabinet secretaries for the first time formally alerted affected federal workers to the possibility of a shutdown — indicating in an e-mail that they would determine which staffers are “essential” to maintain operations in the event of a funding block.

 Senate Democratic leaders met with Obama on Wednesday at the White House to weigh whether to drop their demand that the $120 billion payroll tax cut be paid for with a new surtax on millionaires. Republicans have rejected the idea, but it was not clear Wednesday whether a concession from Democrats would be enough to produce a deal.

 Many Republicans express deep skepticism that extending the payroll tax cut would spark economic growth, as the president and Democrats have argued.

 On Wednesday, Senate Republicans also blocked Democratic efforts to vote on a payroll tax bill approved Tuesday by the GOP-led House. The bill would link the tax extension to a series of Republican initiatives that include speeding up the construction of an oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Obama opposes tying the spending measure to the Keystone XL pipeline.

 Reid said he wanted the vote to prove that the House measure lacks support — a first step, he said, to forcing negotiations on a compromise. Under Senate rules, Democrats can demand a vote on the bill Saturday but need members’ unanimous consent to vote before then.

 “The sooner we put this useless partisan charade behind us, the sooner we can negotiate a solution that protects middle-class workers,” Reid said.

 But McConnell insisted that the Senate should first take up the spending measure, which would keep the government funded through September.

 Republicans say bipartisan negotiators have reached a deal on the spending bill. But they say the White House and Reid will not allow a final vote on the measure, holding the bill hostage and threatening a shutdown to increase Democratic leverage on the payroll tax issue.

 Before filing the government funding bill after midnight Thursday, House Republicans huddled for two hours late Wednesday to discuss whether to proceed with a vote, even without a Democratic sign-off.

 That could prove tricky. Many conservatives object to the bill’s $1.043 trillion spending level, negotiated by Democrats and Republicans in the August debt deal, and it’s not clear whether the bill could pass without some Democratic support.

 House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters late Wednesday that no decisions had been made, but that the House had acted to extend the tax cut and now it was the Senate’s turn.

 “I’m tired of hearing what the Senate can’t do,” he said. “I think it’s time for us to wait and see what the Senate can do.”

 When the House passes a spending bill, lawmakers can go on their holiday break, leaving Senate Democrats with the unpleasant choice of accepting the House’s payroll tax bill or rejecting it and taking the blame for allowing the tax break to expire.

 The tension highlighted the fact that neither side has come up with a way to pay for the tax cut that can get the 60 votes necessary for Senate approval.

 Senate Democrats say that the House bill is unacceptable and that they will vote against it, and the White House has said Obama would veto it.

 Their objections center on several GOP initiatives added to the bill to attract votes from conservatives, many of whom would not support the tax cut extension otherwise. They include cuts in unemployment benefits, new rules that could require the unemployed to take drug tests and enroll in GED programs to receive benefits and the delay of new regulations on boiler emissions.

 The bill would also extend a pay freeze for federal workers and raise Medicare premiums for upper-income seniors. And the two sides are clashing over a provision that would force a decision on a construction permit for the Keystone XL within 60 days. The State Department, which is reviewing the pipeline issue, has said that if forced to make a decision so quickly, it would have to deny the permit.

 Twice, the Senate has also blocked Democratic proposals for the millionaire surtax.

 If government shuts down, some agencies and departments would continue working, thanks to a partial spending bill passed in November. The departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, State and Transportation, as well as NASA and some other smaller agencies, would be spared.

 But much of the government would be shuttered. National parks would close, for instance, and processing of some passports would cease. The showdown marks the fourth time this year that congressional disputes have dragged the government to the brink of a partial shutdown.

 Behind the white-hot rhetoric of their leaders, many rank-and-file lawmakers predicted that there would be a last-minute compromise to extend the tax cut and prevent a shutdown. A number of them wearily said that the only casualty of the fight would be Congress’s already battered reputation.

 “It’s all going to get passed eventually,” said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). “But the political maneuvering is sickening.”

 Staff writers Paul Kane, Ed O’Keefe, David Nakamura and Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report. ||||| The endgame at hand, both Democratic and Republican congressional leaders expressed optimism Thursday at prospects for swift compromise to extend Social Security tax cuts, keep long-term jobless benefits flowing and avoid a threatened partial government shutdown at midnight Friday.

 President Barack Obama speaks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the campus in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011, where he announced action to provide minimum wage and overtime protections... (Associated Press)

 Still another year-end bill, setting new rules for the handling of terror suspects in U.S. custody, won final congressional approval and headed to President Barack Obama's desk for his signature.

 "Right now, Congress needs to make sure that 160 million working Americans don't see their taxes go up on Jan. 1," said Obama, referring to the tax cut extension at the core of the jobs program he outlined in a nationally televised speech three months ago.

 House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, the most powerful Republican in an era of divided government, agreed. "We can extend payroll tax relief for American workers, help create new jobs and keep the government running. And frankly, we can do it in a bipartisan way," he said.

 The long-moribund job market, too, appeared to be on the mend. Government figures showed 366,000 applications for unemployment benefits were filed last week, the lowest number since the near-collapse of the financial system in 2008 and the brutal recession that followed.

 In the Capitol, the previous day's bristling rhetoric and partisan jabs all but vanished.0

 Republicans agreed to consider changes to a $1 trillion spending bill compromise that they and at least one Democrat said had been wrapped up days ago. The White House said it wanted adjustments.

 There were separate negotiations on legislation to extend the Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. Democrats abandoned their demand for a surtax on million-dollar incomes that they wanted to include in the measure, removing a provision that Republicans strongly opposed.

 "We hope that we can come up with something that would get us out of here at a reasonable time in the next few days," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

 At a news conference, Boehner minimized the concession, noting that Democrats lacked the votes to impose the surtax a year ago when they commanded 60 votes in the Senate. Even so, he said, "there was some movement yesterday from the White House and Democrat leaders" toward a compromise.

 Boehner also left open the possibility of a compromise on another key sticking point _ a House-passed provision that all but requires construction of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.

 Construction "will put 20,000 people to work immediately And there are about 115,000 other jobs directly related to it," he said. Yet he skipped an opportunity to say construction of the project was a non-negotiable condition as talks on the payroll tax cut bill proceed.

 Obama has threatened to veto the House-passed bill, in part citing the requirement for the pipeline. The project has been studied for more than three years, but the president recently announced he would put off a decision until after the 2012 elections.

 Without an extension of the payroll tax cut, 160 million Americans will have smaller take home pay beginning on Jan. 1, a fact that the president and leaders of both parties stressed as they looked for compromise.

 Obama asked Congress to extend and also to expand the payroll tax cut that took effect last Jan. 1 and is due to expire at the end of the year. The House-passed bill renews the current reduction for one year, and it was unclear whether a final compromise would go any further.

 The president also wants to leave in place a system that provides aid for up to 99 weeks for the long-term unemployed. The House-passed measure reduces the total by 20 weeks, a step that the administration says would cut off 3.3 million individuals and that Democrats are hoping to soften if not reverse.

 Also part of the negotiations was an attempt to head off a threatened 27 percent cut in payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients, an item added in the House to appeal to conservatives unhappy at extending the payroll tax cuts.

 Reid indicated that a number of expiring tax breaks were on the table, as well, a list that included a provision that benefits commuters who use mass transit.

 In a bow to deficit-conscious conservatives in the House, Obama and leaders in both parties have agreed to offset the cost of the measure to avoid raising deficits.

 The White House and Democrats wanted to use the surtax on million-dollar income to finance most of the bill. But with that off the table, they were required to look elsewhere in talks with Republicans.

 The House-passed measure relied on a pay freeze and increased pension contributions for federal workers, as well as higher Medicare premiums for seniors with incomes over $80,000, beginning in 2017. The bill would also would raise a fee that is charged to banks whose mortgages are guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and cancel more than $40 billion from the year-old health care bill that is Obama's signature domestic achievement.

 At about $1 trillion, the year-end spending measure would lock in cuts that Republicans extracted from Democrats in negotiations conducted months ago against the deadline of a previous government shutdown threat.

 This time, the two sides reached an agreement days ago, according to Republicans and at least one Democrat, well ahead of the Friday midnight deadline. Somewhat belatedly, the White House and Reid insisted otherwise, and Republicans accused them of reneging on the deal to gain leverage in negotiations on the payroll tax bill.

 In response to the Democrats, House Republicans threatened on Wednesday to repackage the measure and pass it. The leadership held the threat in abeyance while compromise negotiations took place.

 The separate defense bill covered military personnel, weapons systems, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and more at a cost of $662 billion, $27 billion below Obama's request. The Senate approved it by a resounding 86-13.

 The main controversy revolved around a provision to require military custody for foreign terrorist suspects linked to al-Qaida or its affiliates and involved in plotting or attacking the United States. Under a change made to gain Obama's backing, the legislation would permit the FBI to arrest and interrogate foreign terror suspects, as is now the case.

 ___

 Associated Press writers Donna Cassata and Andrew Taylor contributed to this story. ||||| Harry Reid says he's still hoping for a longer-term deal on the payroll tax. Payroll, benefits talks continue

 Congressional leaders finalized a deal on Thursday to fund the government through next fall and are now considering a short-term extension of a payroll tax holiday and jobless benefits that would affect millions of Americans next year.

 After a marathon round of negotiations, Democrats and Republicans signed off on a $1 trillion spending bill to keep the government funded through next fall, and that plan is expected to be approved by the full House and Senate on Friday, hours before many federal agencies would have been forced to shutter their doors.

 Story Continued Below

 But sticking points remained over how to pay for a year-long extension of a payroll tax holiday, jobless benefits and to avert a scheduled pay decrease for physicians serving Medicare patients. So negotiators are now actively considering a $40-billion, two-month extension on those measures.

 A two-month extension would “make sure people continue to get their … payroll tax holiday and also the unemployment benefits and also doctors would be able to continue to do their work on Medicare patients,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters as he left the Capitol Thursday night. Reid added that he still hoped for a longer-term deal on those matters.

 But it would also reignite a battle over the issue just as President Barack Obama is campaigning for reelection. A senior administration official said short-term extension would meet Obama’s principle that taxes don’t go up on the middle class, but they were withholding a fuller analysis until they saw a bill.

 On Thursday night, Reid also filed a procedural motion to cut off debate on the House-passed payroll bill, setting up a vote as late as Saturday morning. The bill could be used as the vehicle for a final year-end deal, sources say.

 Negotiations on a year-long extension over the payroll tax plan — which has been demanded by Obama — are expected to continue Friday.

 “Everything is still moving along,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) after leaving a Thursday night meeting with other Democratic leaders.

 By Thursday afternoon, expectations were growing that an agreement could be reached that would allow the House and Senate to vote on a government funding bill by Friday. Sources said an increase in funding for the enforcement of the Dodd-Frank financial services law and to change language tightening travel restrictions to Cuba helped generate Democratic support.

 Staff for Senate leaders had been holed up in the backrooms of the Capitol, deliberating over weighty issues involving how the costs of the extensions should be paid for and how to resolve other sticking points, such as a provision calling for the construction of a major oil pipeline. Separate negotiations were ongoing between the White House and top Republicans over policy riders in the year-end spending bill.

 After an acrimonious first half of the week, there were growing signs Thursday that a deal was within reach and that leaders were eager to put to an end a bitter year of legislation that has been marked by three near-government shutdowns and fears over a debt default. ||||| Democrats, GOP make final effort to pass tax bill, stave off government shutdown

 By Erik Wasson -

 The House and Senate have begun final negotiations on a $1 trillion omnibus.

 House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said talks are under way and that “things are looking up.”

 Rogers said he is hopeful that Senate appropriators will be allowed to sign the conference report soon.

 "We're optimistic that the senators will sign the conference report and we'll get things concluded," Rogers said.

 "Things are looking up and I am looking up," he added, putting his hands together as if in prayer.

 The House unveiled the omnibus legislation Wednesday night, though Democrats hadn’t signed off on the agreement. However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday signaled the sides were edging closer to a deal.

 Unless Congress approves an omnibus or a short-term measure to fund the government before Saturday, most of the government will shut down this weekend. The departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development would not be affected since their appropriations bills were already approved.

 The omnibus has been a bargaining chip in a separate fight over extending the payroll tax cut extension. Both sides have been looking for leverage in that fight, as neither side wants to be blamed for a failure to extend the tax cut.

 It remains unclear whether the House and Senate will be able to resolve their differences and complete work on both the payroll tax measure and the omnibus before the end of the year. Members in both chambers are hoping to leave Washington by Friday, but it remains possible lawmakers will work through the weekend and into next week to finish up the two measures.

 Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia, a senior Democratic appropriator, played down the chances of the government partially shutting down at Friday’s end.

 But he also called the whole showdown over the omnibus spending bill an “indictment of the legislative process.”

 “I’m embarrassed that it happened, but I think the chances of a shutdown are zero,” said Moran, whose Northern Virginia district contains many federal workers.

 Moran said it was his “hope and expectation” that lawmakers would sign off on the conference report for the omnibus package on Thursday, and that the legislation would receive a floor vote on Friday.

 The Virginia Democrat also chided the Obama administration for pushing to link the government spending measure with the extension of the payroll tax cut, in an attempt to gain more leverage over congressional Republicans.

 “Some folks have communicated to the White House that they should not be using federal employees as pawns in a larger issue, that if we have an an omnibus appropriations bill that can, and should, and will eventually be enacted, we should do it now and not hold it up,” Moran said.

 Rogers did not specify which provisions of the omnibus bill would be reopened, but Republicans have said they are willing to negotiate over language limiting travel by Cuban-Americans to Cuba.

 A senior Democratic appropriator, Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), pointed to a dispute over travel restrictions to Cuba as the last sticking point, voicing amazement that the communist island still divided Congress. “Technically we’ve got one issue holding up the package, and it’s Cuba again, 52 years later,” Serrano told reporters.

 He said House and Senate negotiators had agreed to eliminate a provision reinstating a longstanding travel ban loosened by President Obama, but that Boehner’s office intervened. “The Speaker has made it a priority,” Serrano said.

 He said that the change could have immediate effects because the Treasury Department estimates that 300,000 Cuban Americans travel to Cuba over the holidays and those already in Cuba could be in violation of the law if it passes.

 “Lets say the bill gets approved tomorrow and the president signs it Saturday morning: Saturday morning, folks who left and are in Cuba already are in violation of federal law. Nobody thought about this,” Serrano said. “The charter company that flew them to Cuba technically couldn’t go and pick them up, because they would be in violation of federal law.”

 Serrano said that he wants assurances the president would waive the provision if a waiver was inserted into the rider.

 “The most amazing thing is that Cuba is still a congressional issue 52 years later,” he said.

 Prior to Thursday, Democrats had said there were just five issues remaining on the omnibus: the prohibition on Cuba travel, a prohibition on light bulbs standards, a prohibition on D.C-funded abortion, a provision allowing the military to treat coal as an alternative fuel and a desire by the White House to tack on increased funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission which had its funding cut in the minibus passed last month.

 — This story was posted at 2:20 p.m. and was last updated at 3:52 p.m.

 Russell Berman and Bernie Becker contributed to this story. |||||Summary:

– The gist of the articles coming out of Washington this evening suggests that lawmakers will manage to strike a spending deal before tomorrow's midnight deadline to avoid a shutdown. Also looking up are prospects for deals to extend the payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits, say the Washington Post, AP, Politico, and the Hill. Much of the optimism stems from the fact that lawmakers are managing not to snarl at each other in public, unlike yesterday. Some examples: Harry Reid: "We've done enough back and forth. ... We hope that we can come up with something that would get us out of here at a reasonable time in the next few days." John Boehner: "We can extend payroll tax relief for American workers, help create new jobs and keep the government running. And frankly, we can do it in a bipartisan way." Mitch McConnell: Pronounced himself "confident and optimistic." House Appropriations Committee Chair Hal Rogers, R-Ky: "Things are looking up and I am looking up."


Baby Love Hewitt! Jennifer Love Hewitt welcomed her first child, a beautiful baby girl, with Brian Hallisay on Tuesday, Nov. 26, her rep confirms exclusively to Us Weekly. And that's not all — she and Hallisay also secretly tied the knot!

 "Jennifer Love Hewitt and her husband Brian Hallisay are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter," the rep says. "Autumn James Hallisay was born on November 26." A source adds that the couple "got married recently in private."

 PHOTOS: Jennifer Love Hewitt through the years

 Us Weekly exclusively revealed in June that the 34-year-old actress was pregnant and engaged to her 35-year-old Client List costar. "We're so thrilled and happy to start a family," the couple said in a statement to Us at the time. Hewitt showed the first glimpse of her diamond ring and burgeoning baby bump during a romantic trip to Florence, Italy that May. See more pics of her pregnancy, here.

 PHOTOS: Jennifer Love Hewitt's love life

 In July, Hewitt told Us that she and her then-fiance were deciding to keep the gender of their first child a surprise. "You sort of have these pictures in your mind of what [the baby's going to look like]," she said. "I'm really excited to see what he or she is going to look like!"

 And Hewitt told Us she was trying to remain stress-free throughout her pregnancy. "I think most people, when they're getting ready to be a mom, they go, 'Oh my gosh, I have to have all of the answers right now,' but every kid is different, every parent is different and every child and parent relationship is different, so you just sort of have to wait until you're in it and do the best that you can to try to be Zen in the middle of it all," she explained.

 PHOTOS: Hollywood's hottest young moms

 The following month, the actress told Us that she was feeling good going into the final months of her pregnancy. "I feel very lucky. Some women have really rough pregnancies. I've not had one," she shared. "It's been really nice and we have been enjoying it so we feel really lucky."

 Hewitt and Hallisay began dating in 2012 when they reconnected on the set of the now-cancelled Lifetime show The Client List. They previously appeared together on the short-lived NBC series Love Bites.

 Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!

 Want stories like these delivered straight to your phone? Download the Us Weekly iPhone app now! |||||

 FameFlynet

 It’s a party of three for Jennifer Love Hewitt!

 The actress and her husband (yes, they secretly wed!), actor Brian Hallisay “are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter Autumn James Hallisay,” her rep tells PEOPLE.

 Baby girl was born on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

 The couple, who met on the Lifetime show The Client List, decided to keep the sex a surprise, celebrating with a gender-neutral baby shower in October.

 One thing that wasn’t a surprise for the former Party of Five star was the realization that being a parent would be one of her greatest roles in life.

 “I lost my mom a little less than a year and a half ago to cancer. Obviously, I got very lucky that even though I lost my mother, I lost her later in life, but it’s still had a profound effect on me,” Hewitt told PEOPLE in September.

 “I’ve always wanted to be a mom,” she said. “I had a great relationship with mine. I’m ready to pass on to my child all the great love that my mom had for me.”

 – Monica Rizzo with reporting by Aili Nahas

 Flashback Video: Jennifer Love Hewitt: My Bikini Shoot was ‘Daunting’ |||||

Write a summary.

– Jennifer Love Hewitt finally has what she's wanted for so long: a husband and a baby. She apparently secretly wed Brian Hallisay before they welcomed their daughter yesterday, People reports. The couple is "thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter Autumn James Hallisay," says a JLH rep. No further details, though a source tells Us Hewitt and Hallisay "got married recently in private."


Article:
Robert De Niro plays a widowed retiree named Frank in Everybody's Fine. And although Frank's not supposed to be a very sophisticated man, it requires saintly moviegoing patience I clearly don't have to put up with his level of unworldliness. For one thing, he shows up at the doorsteps of his four adult children, who are scattered across America, without calling ahead, expecting each to be home. What, it would kill him to pick up a phone? The guy spent a working lifetime manufacturing the protective coating that insulates telephone wire, fer chrissakes. The contradiction counts as galumphing irony in this calculatedly soppy, seasonally phony Americanized remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's 1990 Stanno Tutti Bene  which was bittersweet in the Italian original with Marcello Mastroianni as the poignant papa.

 Then there's this: Frank, who hasn't seen his brood since the death of their mother a few months earlier, travels from kid to kid (each son or daughter secretly unhappy, lying to their pop, and not fine at all in his or her own way) by bus and train, toting a sad rolling carry-on bag. Thing is, Frank is the only American born in the age of Samsonite who doesn't know that rolling bags actually roll, don't you know, on little wheels that work quite well when the collapsible handle is extended and pulled. So until one of his kids clues him in, he lifts, carries, and schleps like a grandpa from the old country.

 Well. The sight of the world-famous Robert De Niro, a powerful actor revered for playing tough guys who can smash Samsonite with their bare hands, pretending not to know how to pull a handle is so embarrassing that the ick ought to obscure the rest of the movie's falsehoods. Yet, as written and directed by British director Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine) with guidance, apparently, from Dr. Phil, the movie introduces offspring who are correspondingly awful, including Kate Beckinsale as a tense, rich ad exec in Chicago, Sam Rockwell as a drippy musician in Denver, and Drew Barrymore as an alleged dancer in Las Vegas. As for the artist son in New York City, jeez, he's nowhere to be found. Naturally, poor shnooky Frank just waits like a lox on the stoop of the kid's scary, downtown-y, artisty, and vagranty tenement building. At least he might have spent the time more profitably learning how to get his wheels rolling. D

 See all of this week's reviews ||||| Film Reviews

 Everybody's Fine -- Film Review

 "Everybody's Fine"

 Bottom Line: A thoroughly fake movie with trite characters that is about, of all things, the need for truthfulness.

 There isn't much that's fine in "Everybody's Fine," an embarrassing misfire for Kirk Jones, who once gave us the exhilarating comedy "Waking Ned Devine," and Miramax, a storied company now reduced to little more than a film library. Despite a cloyingly sentimental story that rings false in every moment, the production did attract a substantial cast headed by Robert De Niro. It's not going to help, though, when Miramax releases the film Dec. 4.Sometimes a filmmaker and a project just don't make any sense, and "Fine" is a case in point. The film is ostensibly a remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's 1990 film "Stanno Tutti Bene." That bittersweet Italian dramedy has been totally Americanized, which is fine, only wouldn't you want an American director aboard to supervise? Jones, who is British and has never made an American film, not only is the director here, he is the writer. His shaky footing on American soil and with American culture is painfully evident.The movie glides along a surface of complete inauthenticity. Characters have no depth, and all emotions get ladled on via a syrupy score and De Niro's strenuous acting. It's a no-go almost from the start.De Niro plays Frank, a man who has been rough on his kids, demanding their success as payment for his hard work supporting them through their formative years. Now he wonders why no one in his scattered family wants to visit him after their mother died. She was always the buffer, but now she's gone.True to his fashion, he ignores his doctor's advice to take things easy because of a lung condition and hits the road, traveling by bus or train -- he hates airplanes -- to visit his two sons and two daughters unannounced. Apparently, sneak attacks are the best approach with this family.You can pretty much guess that when his wife told him the kids were just fine all those years, she wasn't being frank. Indeed, the first son he visits, a painter in New York, has disappeared.So he drops in on one of his daughters (Kate Beckinsale), who lives with her husband and son in a tony Chicago neighborhood. She can't wait to get rid of him, but it's clear -- like everything in this movie, perhaps too clear -- that something is seriously amiss.En route to visit a second son, the long-distance telephone wires buzz with the siblings' urgent calls that alert one another to Dad's sneak visits and let you know the New York son is in deep trouble in Mexico.The second son (Sam Rockwell) doesn't quite have the job Frank expected. Later, Drew Barrymore, the other daughter, seems happy as a dancer in Las Vegas shows, but signals are everywhere that this too is a false front.What Jones intends here is a puzzle: Everything is so utterly predictable and the false fronts so obvious, was he really counting on audiences being surprised? Or, more likely, does he mean for you to watch how De Niro reacts to an entire family basically lying to their dad?There is no web of complexity or societal mischief for the protagonist to penetrate. He merely observes a dance of deceit, responds politely, but when his health finally and inevitably breaks down, he is in a position to demand the truth.What he "learns" is what has been apparent from the start. He pushed too hard as a father and, to protect him against disappointment, his children put on a show and play the happy family.What a long way to go for such a banal payoff. And the route is made longer by characters and situations that are equal parts bland and extraneous. Henry Braham's cinematography and Andrew Jackness' production design create eye-catching landscapes across America for Frank to wander through, but they feel alarmingly empty. |||||Summary:

– Critics are divided on Everybody’s Fine: Some think the family drama is okay because of Robert De Niro, and others think it’s awful despite him. What they’re saying: It’s “a thoroughly fake movie that is about, of all things, the need for truthfulness,” writes Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter. “Characters have no depth, and all emotions get ladled on via a syrupy score and De Niro's strenuous acting.” Rooting for these characters “requires saintly moviegoing patience I clearly don't have,” says Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly, adding that the script was written “under guidance, apparently, from Dr. Phil.” De Niro is “very good,” says Bill Goodykoontz of the Arizona Republic, but the film doesn’t trust its audience, and the ending is “pure sap.” It “may well be fine, but it could have been a lot better.” You may feel as if you’ve “been run over by the pathos van,” because the movie borders on “emotional fraud.” But it’s such a relief to see De Niro "in a project that does not stink” that Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune liked it anyway.


Here is a news article: McDonald's has joined the fight against plastic pollution by switching to paper straws at its restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

 The change, which will begin to take effect in September, follows trials of paper straws at select locations. The US fast food chain said a majority of its customers supported the move away from plastic.

 "Reflecting the broader public debate, our customers told us they wanted to see a move on straws but to do so without compromising their overall experience when visiting our restaurants," said Paul Pomroy, CEO of McDonald's UK and Ireland.

 McDonald's (MCD) uses 1.8 million straws each day at its 1,361 restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company said the changeover would be complete in 2019.

 Plastic straws are the sixth most common type of litter globally, according to Litterati, an app that identifies and maps trash. Only 1% are recycled, largely because they are made of a mixture of polypropylene and polystyrene.

 According to the UK government, 1 million birds and more than 100,000 sea mammals die every year from eating or getting tangled in plastic waste. And research shows there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the world's oceans by 2050.

 UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove called on other companies to follow the example of McDonald's.

 "McDonald's has made a significant investment in UK manufacturing to produce an alternative to plastic, showing British businesses are taking a global lead," he said in a statement.

 Several large UK restaurant chains such as Pizza Express and Wagamama have already stopped using plastic straws.

 And a group of more than 40 companies including Coca-Cola (KO), Nestle (NSRGF), Unilever (UL) and Procter & Gamble (PG) pledged earlier this year to slash the amount of plastic they use and throw away in the United Kingdom.

 The flurry of commitments comes as efforts to eliminate single-use plastic intensify.

 The European Union moved last month to ban 10 items -- including plastic cutlery, straws and cotton swabs -- by 2030 in a bid to clean up the oceans. But it could take years to come into effect.

 Related: Europe plans ban on plastic cutlery, straws and more

 In April, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced the United Kingdom would look to ban plastic-stemmed cotton swabs, stirrers and straws. She urged Commonwealth countries to commit to the fight against plastic waste at a meeting in London.

 McDonald's said that plastic straws would still be available "for those that require it," but they will be kept behind the counter.

 Some manufacturers have previously argued against the removal of plastic straws because they are needed by some people with disabilities, children and the elderly.

 -- Laura Smith-Spark and Jacopo Prisco contributed to this report. ||||| Image copyright PA Image caption Paper straws will replace the plastic ones

 McDonald's will replace plastic straws with paper ones in all its UK and Ireland restaurants, starting from September.

 It is the latest company to opt out of some single-use plastic products which can take hundreds of years to decompose if not recycled.

 The restaurant chain uses 1.8 million straws a day in the UK.

 "Reflecting the broader public debate, our customers told us they wanted to see a move on straws," the firm said.

 This decision follows a successful trial in selected restaurants earlier this year. The move to paper straws will be completed next year.

 Environment Secretary Michael Gove called it a "significant contribution" to helping the environment, adding that it was "a fine example to other large businesses".

 The ban does not yet extend to the rest of the chain's global empire, but trials will begin in selected restaurants in the US, France and Norway.

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Will McCallum on ten ways to cut down on plastics

 In some other countries, straws are being offered on request only.

 In April, the government proposed a ban on plastic straws and cotton buds in England. But many businesses, including Waitrose, Costa Coffee, and Wagamama, have already started to take action.

 All JD Wetherspoon pubs stopped using plastic straws at the beginning of the year. Pizza Express said it would replace all plastic straws with biodegradable ones by summer 2018.

 And more than 60 independent British festivals - including Boardmasters and Bestival - have banned plastic straws as part of a pledge to rid their sites of single-use plastic by 2021.

 Most straws are made from plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene, which unless recycled take hundreds of years to decompose.

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rich Horner filmed himself swimming through rubbish off the island of Nusa Penida near Bali

 Many end up in landfill and the oceans, and the BBC's Blue Planet II highlighted the damage plastic can cause to marine wildlife.

 But not everyone thinks total bans are the answer.

 Plastic straws enable many disabled people to drink independently, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson said. She said paper alternatives were not always suitable or safe.

 And Tetra Pak - the food packaging company - has said plastic straws serve a "vital" function in cartons and should not be banned.

 It argues that straws can be recycled together with cartons if they are pushed back into the box.

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Plastic pollution is killing animals in the Arctic

 Transcend Packaging in Wales, and Huhtamaki in Belfast, will supply the straws for all 1,361 McDonald's restaurants.

 The straws will use paper from certified sustainable sources, the company said.

 "The government's ambitious plans, combined with strong customer opinion, has helped to accelerate the move away from plastic and I'm proud that we've been able to play our part," said Paul Pomroy, chief executive of McDonald's UK and Ireland. ||||| Fast food giant McDonald's is to move away from using plastic straws in its U.K. and Ireland restaurants.

 In an announcement Friday, the business said it would commence a phased rollout of paper straws in all 1,361 of its sites in the two countries. The transition is set to start in September and will be completed by 2019.

 "McDonald's is committed to using our scale for good and working to find sustainable solutions for plastic straws globally," Francesca DeBiase, McDonald's executive vice president of global supply chain and sustainability, said in a statement.

 The business has also started to test alternatives to plastic straws in Belgium. It will do the same later this year in a number of restaurants in the U.S., France, Australia, Norway and Sweden. Tests will also take place in a number of markets, including Malaysia, to offer straws only when they are requested by customers.

 "We hope this work will support industry wide change and bring sustainable solutions to scale," DeBiase added.

 The issue of plastic waste is a serious one. Europeans produce 25 million tons of plastic waste per year, according to the European Commission. Less than 30 percent of this is collected for recycling.

 McDonald's joins a growing number of major companies looking to reduce their use of plastic. In January, U.K. supermarket Iceland, which specializes in frozen food, made a commitment to eliminate plastic packaging from its own brand products by 2023. The same month, bottled water brand Evian said it would produce all its plastic bottles from 100 percent recycled plastic by the year 2025. |||||
A summary of this is?

– "A move on straws" is afoot across the pond, and McDonald's is driving the push. The fast-food chain is nixing plastic straws and moving to paper in all of its Ireland and United Kingdom restaurants in what the UK's environment secretary calls a "significant contribution" to going green, the BBC reports. Those locations currently use 1.8 million plastic straws per day. The straw switchover will start in September and be fully in place by 2019. The initiative comes after a trial run there, and new paper-straw trials are set for some McDonald's locations in France, Norway, Sweden, Australia, and the US, CNBC notes. CNNMoney notes that, per trash-mapping app Litterati, plastic straws are the sixth most common type of litter in the world. Only about 1% of plastic straws are recycled, and, because of their combination polypropylene-polystyrene makeup, they can take hundreds of years to decompose. Some advocates say plastic straws are safer for certain customers with disabilities, but McDonald's says the plastic versions will still be available upon request "for those that require it."


Article:

Miley Cyrus has taught her 14-year-old sister, Noah, how to twerk and dougie (at the same time!) and woah you'd think she's teaching her how to toke up. (Let's hope that's not happening!) People are really outraged. I mean, c'mon. Back in the day, parents were outraged at Elvis' hip shaking. The hokey pokey was probably the work of the devil at one time.

 Look, 14-year-olds dance around. Toddlers do it. I have a friend whose toddler rolls around on the couch like Madonna on her Venice gondola in "Like a Virgin." Not everything is sexual -- not everything is evil. Teens and kids play around. Let's not get all like the preacher in Footloose here.

 Isn't it nice that Miley is spending some time with her younger sis?

 Here's the vid:

 Okay, so I know what you're thinking. What next? Topless Insta photos? Naked on a swinging wrecking ball? Licking a hammer and lolling her tongue out?

 Hey, Miley is her sister. Whether she copies her or not, who knows. Maybe the whole thing will turn her off of tongues forever. When teens rebel, they usually go in the opposite direction.

 But let's not be so outraged at the dancing. It's not anything all the kids aren't doing. She would have learned it from someone else -- why not the master?

 Yes, I too hope Noah will grow up to be a surgeon and leave the twerking to Miley ... but let's just give her a break and see how it goes. At least she's wearing more clothes than Miley.

 Do you think Noah is too young to twerk?

 Image via Instagram ||||| Miley Cyrus Death of Dog Triggered Illness ... Which Triggered Hospitalization

 EXCLUSIVE

 may have been rushed to the hospital because of a bad reaction to antibiotics, but we're told the reason she was on the meds was because she wore herself down by hard partying and an emotional meltdown over the death of her dog.Sources connected to Miley tell TMZ ... she has been "an emotional mess" since her dog Floyd died earlier this month. We're told she had crying fits and has been unable to sleep.

 Our sources say Miley's escape has been partying ... as one person said, "She's been off the rails since this happened." We're told she's been drinking a lot and drugs are also involved.We're told Miley was on meds because she got sick from being extremely worn down.Everything's connected to everything.We reached out to Miley's rep ... so far no word back. ||||| Twitter

 UPDATE: Shortly after 8 a.m. CT, Miley tweeted: "I can't get a hold of my team because it is so early so I want to be the one to tell my fans especially the ones trekking to get there...the hospital is sayin i wont b released today...therefore Im not going 2 make it 2 St Louis. Im so sorry but somethings are outta my control."

 _____

 An "absolutely horrible reaction" to medication sent Miley Cyrus to the hospital Tuesday, forcing her to cancel her Bangerz show in Kansas City that night.

 Understandably, the 21-year-old singer was heartbroken, tweeting to bummed out concertgoers, "Not being with y'all makes me feel sh--tier than I already do." And while Miley is being taken care of by "Mr. Octopussy & some amazing Drs," she's still "mizzzzzeraaabbblleeee" and upset.

 "I hate this. & I hate hospitals. & I hate needles," she tweeted a fan. "I hate laying in a bad bored AF. & I hate feeling [sh--ty]." The "Adore You" singer, who has been dealing with a number of health issues during her tour lately, also noted, "Hospital TV is wacccckkkkkkk!!!!! #wherestheappletv."

 VIDEO: All the details surrounding Miley's hospitalization

 fever fever go away ? Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) April 15, 2014

 Miley has yet to cancel her Wednesday night show in St. Louis, Mo., but she seemed to hint at the possibility that morning on Twitter.

 "I'm gonna be driving all day, with non phone, then 3 hours to St. Louis," a fan tweeted. "If I get there to find @MileyCyrus cancelled, I'll die."

 Miley responded almost instantly, tweeting, "babe as of right now I'm still in the hospital...I just don't want any of my fans to be pissed off or disappointed."

 NEWS: Miley cyrus gives up new dog Moonie

 @LuizJozeMonster no more kissing fans ? Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) April 14, 2014

 Poor girl! Miley was forced to cancel her Charlotte, N.C., show earlier this month when she came down with the flu, and although she stuck it out and took the stage the next night in Raleigh, a source tells E! News the singer's been battling major "throat and sinus issues."

 Fortunately, a source tells E! News Miley is already "feeling a little better."

 Take care of yourself, Miley, and get well soon!

 —Reporting by Ken Baker

 (Originally published April 16, 2014 at 5:59 a.m. PT)

 PHOTOS: Miley's wildest concert pics

 RELATED VIDEOS: ||||| On Sunday, Miley Cyrus announced that she was sending her newest dog, Moonie, to live with another family. This happened less than two weeks after she got Moonie, who was adopted shortly after the mysterious death of her dog Floyd.

 Let's investigate everything we know about Miley Cyrus and her dogs.

 How many dogs does Miley have?

 If you count all the dogs she had in the first week of April, six:

 Floyd, husky, now deceased.

 Moonie, Yorkie mix, recently rehomed.

 Bean, chihuahua mix.

 Penny Lane, tiny mix.

 Mary Jane, black-and-white mix.

 Happy, Rottweiler-beagle mix.

 So what happened with Floyd?

 Miley's dog Floyd died suddenly earlier this month under (at least to her fans) completely mysterious circumstances. She got the Alaskan Klee Kai in 2011, and he was evidently Miley's favorite of her dog army. "I know I don't mean it but I wish he would've taken me with him this is unbearable," she tweeted on April 1 without explaining how or why Floyd died. "What am I gonna do without him?"

 I don't wanna say it because I don't want it to be real... But my precious baby Floyd has passed away ๐��ฟ๐�’” I am broken pic.twitter.com/QBPujurnUj โ€” Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) April 2, 2014

 That's so sad. How did Miley handle his death?

 According to her Twitter account, she struggled with his absence.

 ๐��ฟ๐��ฟ๐��ฟ I wanna sleep but all I can do is cry ๐��ฟ๐��ฟ๐��ฟ I never wanna go home to a house where Floyd isnt running & playing ๐��ฟ how do I get thru this๐��ฟ โ€” Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) April 5, 2014

 Im trying 2 tweet about it rather than screaming and waking up the entire hotel! I wanna fucking screaaam. Im so fucking angry at the world. โ€” Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) April 5, 2014

 I wanna go home. But I don't wanna go home to a home with no Floyd ๐��ฟ 5 am. Can't sleep. Playing Barclays tomorrow. guide me rainbow Floyd ๐��� โ€” Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) April 5, 2014

 How did Floyd's death impact Miley's touring?

 A few days after Floyd's death, she paid tribute to him during a concert at Brooklyn's Barclays Center: she sang a song in his memoryโ€”while wearing a bikini and furry chapsโ€”to huge inflatable husky that looks like Floyd:

 We knew how much Floyd ment to @MileyCyrus She even included him in her concert ๐��ฟ๐��ฟ๐��ฟ #AlwaysInOurHearts #RIPFloyd pic.twitter.com/Tfcv5B8OrW โ€” (@louliparodi) April 2, 2014

 The distraught Cyrus also canceled her Charlotte, N.C. last week just 30 minutes before she was set to perform, citing "a virus" as the reason.

 Poor Miley. Has she thought about distancing herself from dogs for awhile? Maybe that would help.

 Well, that would be difficult because in the worst idea ever, her mom Tish tried to cheer her up two days after Floyd passed by giving her a new puppy named Moonie.

 my mama knew my heart was broken ๐�’” & this morning I woke up to Moonie kisses ๐��ฟ pic.twitter.com/1nUudVDaOz โ€” Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) April 4, 2014

 Did Moonie fix everything?

 Shockingly, no. One inflatable dog serenade and ten days later, Miley announced this Sunday that she was shipping off tiny, new not-Floyd to a family friend. Don't feel too bad for Moonie, though. If this picture is any indication, Moonie seemed to enjoy the idea of travel.

 So torn. I love having little Moonie cuddle w me and Mary Jane ๐��ฟ but just don't know if I'm ready to love again ๐��ฟ pic.twitter.com/F6OxiXXepi โ€” Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) April 5, 2014

 Why would someone who loves dogs and who has so many ship off poor Moonie so soon?

 This is where the situation gets even bleaker. According to Miley:

 @gypsyhearttour my friends mom who has a tiny pup 4 him 2 play with Molly ๐�’– After wht happened Im scared 2 have a tiny dog๐��ฟ #moonieandmolly โ€” Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) April 13, 2014

 "After what happened?" With Floyd or...have there been others? This can't be good.

 Yeah, so. It seems Miley's specific concern about Moonie's size probably has nothing to do with Floyd's death. No, "what happened" probably refers to another doggie incident in Miley's past. Back in 2012, her Yorkie mix, Lila, died when she was just over two years old. And that time it wasn't mere mysterious circumstances: Lila was killed after another of Miley's dogs, Ziggy, "grabbed her in just the wrong spot," according to Miley's mom.

 What happened to Ziggy, Miley's dog who eats other dogs?

 Ziggy was subsequently adopted by another family. And don't worry. There are no other dogs in Ziggy's new home.

 Wow. Sounds like Miley doesn't have the best luck with dogs.

 Well, she does ride a giant flying hot dog as part of her concert.

 And sometimes she dresses like a hot dog?

 But no, she has terrible luck when it comes to non-hot dogs.

 What will Miley do without Floyd or Moonie?

 It seems that Miley, along with her new favorite dog Mary Jane, is doing better now that she has a stuffed Floyd to carry around.

 And we still don't know what happened to poor Floyd?

 No. While it's rumored he was attacked by a coyote, we don't know exactly what happened. And perhaps we never will.

 [Image via Miley Cyrus/Instagram] |||||
What is a summary?

– Miley Cyrus was hospitalized yesterday after having a bad allergic reaction to antibiotics—but TMZ reports that it's actually the death of her dog earlier this month that's behind it all. Since Floyd's death, Cyrus has been "an emotional mess," and the only way she's found to deal with her crying jags and inability to sleep has been to party way too much, sources say. "She's been off the rails," adds another; both alcohol and drugs are reportedly involved. Worn out, she got sick, went on the antibiotics, and the rest is history. Miley tweeted today that she'll likely have to cancel tonight's concert in St. Louis, as she probably won't be released today, E! reports. Cyrus has made no secret of the fact that she's despondent over Floyd's death—in fact, she's posted about it so often on social media (and even sang a tribute to a huge inflatable version of the Husky at one of her concerts) that Gawker ran an explainer on Monday. It's not clear what happened to Floyd (there are reports he was killed by a coyote), but he was apparently Miley's favorite of the five dogs she had. After his death, her mom got her a new dog named Moonie, but she ended up giving the puppy away due to a concern about having small dogs—because in 2012, another dog of Miley's died after being grabbed by yet another dog of hers (who was also subsequently re-homed). (For slightly "happier" Miley news, click to watch a video of her teaching her 14-year-old sister how to twerk.)