U.S. Postal Service

MILWAUKEE (WITI) With more snow expected to blanket the region during the next couple days, one seasonal tool is expected to make its return at homes and businesses the shovel. To help letter carriers deliver mail for the holidays, the Postal Service is asking customers to clear snow and ice from sidewalks, stairs and mailboxes.

Snow and ice make delivery dangerous and slow, said A/Milwaukee Postmaster A.R. Bob Odell. Maintaining a clear path to the mail box including steps, porches, walkways and street approach will help letter carriers maintain consistent delivery service and help them get those cards and packages delivered in time for the holidays.

Customers receiving door delivery should make sure their sidewalks, steps and porches are clear. Customers receiving curbside delivery should remove snow piles left by snow plows to keep access to their mailboxes clear for letter carriers.

Delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous conditions for letter carriers or when snow is plowed against mailboxes. The Postal Service curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort, says Odell. Any curtailed mail is attempted the next delivery day.

Blue collection boxes also need to be kept clear for our customers to deposit their mail and for the Postal Service to collect the mail for delivery. Residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property are asked to keep them clear of snow and ice. We want our letter carriers to be safe, adds Odell. We can only do this with the help of our customers.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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Postal Service urging customers to clear snow, ice from sidewalks, stairs & mailboxes

MORRIS To help letter carriers deliver mail, the Postal Service is asking customers to clear snow and ice from sidewalks, stairs and mailboxes.

Snow and ice make delivery dangerous and slow, Central Illinois District Manager Peter Allen said in a news release. Maintaining a clear path to the mail box including steps, porches, walkways and street approach will help letter carriers maintain consistent delivery service.

Customers receiving door delivery should make sure their sidewalks, steps and porches are clear. Customers receiving curbside delivery should remove snow piles left by snow plows to keep access to their mailboxes clear for letter carriers.

Delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous conditions for letter carriers or when snow is plowed against mailboxes.

Blue collection boxes also need to be kept clear for customers to deposit their mail and for the Postal Service to collect the mail for delivery. Residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property are asked to keep them clear of snow and ice.

We want our letter carriers to be safe, Allen said. We can only do this with the help of our customers.

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Post office asks residents to clear snow and ice

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -

The temperatures will begin to drop on Wednesday and will stay low for the remainder of the week, and there are steps you can take to be prepared.

Lows will be in the mid-to-upper 20s once again. We'll see a brief warm-up during the afternoon with highs into the upper 40s. A dry cold front will push into the Valley late in the day or overnight.

Tuesday's high, near 48, will be the warmest temperature we will have until after the weekend, according to 48 Storm Team Chief Meteorologist Brad Travis.

The winds will pick up out of the north on Wednesday as the coldest air since last winter settles into the area. Despite mostly sunny skies, temperatures on Wednesday will struggle to make it back to 30. The bitter cold continues that night with lows dipping to around 10.

Sunny skies are in the forecast for Thursday, but a warm afternoon is not. Once again, highs may stay in the upper 20s.

Milder weather is in store as we head into this weekend. Clouds move back in on Friday, and temperatures will climb above freezing in the afternoon. Highs will be into the upper 30s. Afternoon temperatures in the 40s can be expected over the weekend. We'll see more clouds this weekend, and there's a slight chance for rain.

With the freezing temperatures moving in, there are several things you can do to prepare ahead of time.

If you have pets, there are several things to remember during cold weather.

For more tips to prepare for the upcoming weather, click here. For pet tips for the weather, click here.

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Preparing for cold weather as temperatures approach single digits

After Tropical Storm Iselle brought down countless albizia trees in lower Puna last August, there was renewed focus on the dangers posed by the invasive species

Click here to watch Andrew Pereira's report.

Mei Kiese of Pacific Palisades said she began taking notice of the huge albizia tree in her neighbor's backyard about 15 years ago, long before Iselle struck the Big Island. Kiese said her neighbor refused to cut the tree down decades ago when it was still a sapling, and believes shes spent more than $24,000 trimming it back throughout the years.

When they building the house down there, this tree is below my fence and then we never can able to settle to cut (it down)," Kiese, who speaks broken English, told KITV4.

But as luck would have it, Kiese was eventually contacted by the state about her tree problem, which may result in the albizia being cut down.

Late last year the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, formerly known as State Civil Defense, came to Kiese's home to take a look at the situation and delivered some good news. Under a state law passed in 2009 that assesses potential hazards to public safety from trees, rocks and flood-prone streams, HEMA issued a $58,000 contract to have the albizia tree removed on Nov. 20. However, the contractor hired by the agency failed to cut down the tree before a large branch came down during a windstorm this past weekend and damaged Kiese's roof.

"It's driving me nuts," an exasperated Kiese said of the albizia tree. "I hope the state comes and takes care of it."

Last year, HEMA received $1 million from the state Legislature to fund the 2009 law known as Act 76, but nothing in the law says the state is now liable for damage done to Kiese's roof.

"The latest branch is as wide as my car, said Kiese. They hit the roof and broke my skylight."

HEMA spokeswoman Shelly Ichishita said the tree next to Kiese's property is still slated for removal, although she couldnt say when. Under the law, the state must provide at least 10 days notice before entering a property to remove a known hazard. If a homeowner refuses permission, the governor can obtain a court order to gain entry. The governor can also bill the property owner for all costs associated with the removal of the hazard and place a lien on the landowners property.

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State assisting Pacific Palisades resident with tree problem

MEBANE A North Carolina small business's work is in the spotlight Monday on HGTV.

Alamance County's Signature Flooring is being featured in an episode of the home makeover show Love It or List It.

"We were very surprised, very excited," said sales and design associate Vicki Whittemore.

Its a big deal for the small business in the heart of Mebane.

It definitely shows our tile work and some finished work we have done in a home that is in the Research Triangle Park area, Whittemore said.

"We are a small business, said co-owner Charles Harding. In fact, there are only six of us here. We are all part of a big team, and we all feel like family."

Leaders with the full-scale flooring company, which installs everything from tile to hardwood, call their experience with the show fantastic. While the owners at Signature Flooring couldn't go into details, they say their relationship with HGTV will go well-beyond Monday night's episode.

They're hoping the national exposure to the way they do business will give them even more of a boost.

The HGTV folks approached us personally and asked if we would like to be involved, Harding said. We were originally just going to do one project. They approached us, and I'd like to think it's because of a lot companies forget about, like cleanliness, the way folks are dressed, the vehicles they drive, the way they represent their business "

Monday night's episode of Love It or List It was the show's first this season.

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Mebane Business Featured on HGTV Show

MILAN--Students arriving at Milan High School for their first day back from break received a surprise.

Superintendent Bryan Girbach said a faulty water pressure valve on the building's sprinkler system was the cause of a false alarm on Monday, Jan. 5. The faulty valve caused a malfunction in the school's fire alarm system.

"The kids were never in any danger," he said, adding that the valve has since been fixed.

Lt. Fred Evans with the Milan Area Fire Department said the department received the call at 7:05 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5. Classes begin at 7:30 a.m.Firefighters arrived on the scene only to discover it was a false alarm.

There was no fire, no injuries, nothingits the kind of calls we like, he said.

The department was on scene about 15 minutes, which allowed them time to investigate and make sure there were no issues, he said.

Superintendent Bryan Girbach said a faulty water pressure valve on the building's sprinkler system was the cause of a false alarm on Monday, Jan. 5. The faulty valve caused a malfunction in the school's fire alarm system.

"The kids were never in any danger," he said, adding that the valve has since been fixed.

Lt. Fred Evans with the Milan Area Fire Department said the department received the call at 7:05 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5. Classes begin at 7:30 a.m.Firefighters arrived on the scene only to discover it was a false alarm.

There was no fire, no injuries, nothingits the kind of calls we like, he said.

Originally posted here:
Technical issue causes fire alarm to malfunction at Milan High School (UPDATED at 12:24 p.m.)

Crude oils slide below $50 sent the Standard & Poors 500 Index (SPX) to its biggest drop since October on Monday as selling spread from the energy industry amid concern that cuts in capital spending will hurt earnings.

Energy shares in the S&P 500 plunged 4 percent as West Texas Intermediate sank to the lowest since April 2009. Exxon Mobil Corp. lost 2.7 percent and Chevron Corp. retreated 3.9 percent. Caterpillar (CAT) Inc. declined 5.3 percent and an index of railroad stocks lost 3.2 percent on concern that the energy slump may hurt spending on capital equipment and crude transportation.

The S&P 500 dropped 1.8 percent to 2,020.90 at 4 p.m. in New York, for its first four-day losing streak since 2013. The gauge fell below its average price for the last 50 days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 327.49 points, or 1.8 percent, to 17,505.50.

Carlo Allegri/Reuters Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Commodities are really a leading indicator as to the health of the global economy, Bruce Bittles, chief investment strategist at Milwaukee-based RW Baird & Co., which oversees $110 billion, said in a phone interview. The concern is that the global economy will hurt the US stocks, S&P particularly, because theyre made up of a lot of multinational companies.

While all 10 major industries on the S&P 500 retreated today, with materials producers industrials each tumbling more than 2 percent, energy shares paced declines to extend a selloff that began last June. Denbury Resources Inc. sank 8 percent and Noble Energy Inc. tumbled 9.6 percent for the biggest drops in the S&P 500.

Bear Market

The gauge of 43 energy producers has plunged 23 percent since an all-time high in June, as oil prices entered a bear market amid a supply glut spurred by the highest U.S. output in three decades and OPECs refusal to cut production.

Oil declined for a third day today, falling as much as 6.7 percent in London and sinking below $50 a barrel in the U.S. for the first time since April 2009.

It looks as if oil prices are going to continue to see lower lows in the course of the next couple weeks, and it puts together a risk-off trading environment within the markets, said Chad Morganlander, a money manager at St. Louis-based Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., which oversees about $160 billion.

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Dow Sheds More Than 300 Points as Oil Slumps

European equity markets were down across the board yesterday as political uncertainty surrounding Greece and falling oil prices pushed markets lower.

The main Greek index was down 5.6% at the close. The main bourses in France, Spain and Portugal were down over 3.0% while the Italian market was down 4.9%. The Iseq was down over 1.2% at the close. It shed 63.68 points to close at 5,165.01. Yesterday also saw the price of oil drop to its lowest level since April 2009.

In Irish financials, Bank of Ireland decreased by 2.8% to close at 30.8c while Permanent TSB decreased by 3.2% to close at 6.1c. AIB was flat on the day, closing at 8.4c. FBD decreased by 1.4% to close at 11.60.

In the agri-food stocks, Aryzta decreased by 0.6% to close at 63.30, Glanbia decreased by 0.8% to close at 12.70, and Kerry Group decreased by 2.0% to close at 57.10.

In the constructions stocks, CRH was down 2.5% to close at 19.20, while Kingspan was up 2.3% to close at 14.58.

Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

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Iseq sheds 1.2% as it follows European downward trend

Kirstie Alley, known for her yo-yo dieting throughout the years, has shed yet another 50 pounds and is looking thin and trim. How did she do it this time? She went back on the Jenny Craig plan on which she lost 75 pounds while serving as the companys spokesperson.

It was so easy for me when I did it before, Alley said during a recent interview with People magazine.

Kirstie Alleys last significant weight loss came while she was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars. The constant rehearsals and romps on the ballroom floor had her looking and feeling amazing. But when the show ended, so did the dancingand the weight came back.

The former Cheers star only set out to lose 30 pounds this time, but kept going. She dropped from a size 12 or 14 down to a six six or eight.

Theres this certain place I hit where I felt really energetic and agile. I was like, I want to keep going with this! she said.

The actress knew if she didnt incorporate both the diet plan and the exercise this time, she would yo-yo yet again.

I thought, how am I going to solve the problem of hitting a goal and having enough fun to keep that going? she asked herself.

The answer came in the form of a bicycle.

I got a yellow townie bike and I ride over to friends houses. I bribe people. Ill say, lets ride to this restaurant and Ill pay for dinner, she said. And believe me: If I bike four miles to a restaurant, I dont wreck it with my order!

Having a consultant through the Jenny Craig program has proven noteworthy this time.

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Kirstie Alley Sheds 50 Pounds, Again

The Canadian dollar was lower Monday, dragged below the 85 cent US level because of continuing weakness in the price of oil, which dropped below $50 US a barrel for the first time since 2009.

The plunging oil price hammered the Toronto Stock Exchange, which was off by more than three per cent or 380 points in the afternoon. Commodity-based shares were especially hard hit, with the energy subindex off six per cent and metals and mining off more than four.

The TSX closed down 360.95 points or 2.4 per cent at14,392.70.

"Investors (are) trying to figure out what the new equilibrium is for oil and commodities in general," said Craig Fehr, Canadian markets strategist at Edward Jones in St.Louis. "I think we will feel our way through that for quite some time."

The loonie dropped to its lowest point since May 2009 on Monday, changing hands at 84.90 at one point,although it recovered to close at 85.05 cents US later in the day. Much of that is because of strength in the U.S. dollar as opposed to weakness in the loonie because the U.S. greenback has been gaining ground against virtually every other world currency for several weeks now.

The euro hit a nine-year low against the U.S. dollar on Monday, trading under 1.20 for the first time since 2005.

But much of the loonie'sweakness was the same old story: an oil price that can't seem to find a bottom.

The price for a barrel of the benchmark North American oil known as WTI lost $2.65 to close at $50.04 on Monday, but traded below the $50 threshold earlier in the day.

That's the first time oil has been that low since the summer of 2009, when the world economy was just starting to come out of a devastating recession.

Dirk Lever, managing director of Institutional Equity Research at Altacorp, says Monday's oil weakness wasn't tied to any new data, but rather a reflection of people coming back to work from the Christmas holiday and catching up on their trading. "This is the first day we've had a real reflection in the market with everybody back at work," Lever said, adding he expects oil to find a floor price soon.

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TSX sheds 380 points as oil trades below $50 a barrel