By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) - Streets are subdued, marketplaces are quiet and people are on edge in Jewish areas of Jerusalem, where Arabs have been using meat cleavers, guns, screwdrivers and even their cars in deadly, small-scale attacks.

The holy city - which Israel says must forever stay united - has rarely seemed more divided.

In their 47th year of occupation, Palestinians are seething with anger over neglect and discrimination, continued Jewish settlement in their areas, and a belief, despite official denials, that Israel is scheming to take over their most revered site.

This anger, coupled with Jewish fears of further violence, has left the city's 800,000 residents apprehensive, seemingly united in the belief that things will get worse before they get better.

"I'm really not safe, and before leaving the house I think twice," said Sara Levi, a 22-year-old stay at home mother. "We are not calm, and we hope there is going to be an end to this, and that it is not just a beginning."

Levi spoke as she waited at a stop for Jerusalem's light rail train - a frequent target of Palestinian violence. The trains, meant to serve as a symbol of a united city, are frequently pelted with stones when passing through Palestinian areas. There have been two deadly attacks in recent weeks by ramming cars into crowded stations.

In a separate attack, a Palestinian gunman on a motorcycle shot and seriously wounded a prominent Jewish activist who has pushed for greater Jewish access to the city's most sensitive holy site - the hilltop compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

The violence reached a new turning point Tuesday when two Palestinian attackers burst into a crowded synagogue during morning prayers, killing four worshippers and a policeman with the meat cleavers and gunfire. It was the deadliest attack in the city since 2008, and gruesome pictures of blood-covered holy books and prayer shawls shocked a country long accustomed to political violence.

Those deaths brought to 11 the number of people killed by Palestinian attacks - most of them in Jerusalem - but also in Tel Aviv and the West Bank in recent weeks. At least five Palestinians involved in the attacks were killed.

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Divided Jerusalem: Attacks put holy city on edge

By JIM KUHNHENN and ERICA WERNER Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a broad test of his executive powers, President Barack Obama declared Wednesday he will sidestep Congress and order his own federal action on immigration - in measures that could spare from deportation as many as 5 million people illegally in the U.S. and set up one of the most pitched partisan confrontations of his presidency.

Obama declared that Washington has allowed America's immigration problem "to fester for too long."

The president will use an 8 p.m. EST address Thursday to announce his measures and will sign the executive actions during a rally in Las Vegas on Friday. In doing so, Obama will be taking an aggressive stand that he had once insisted was beyond his presidential power.

As many as 5 million people in the country illegally are likely to be protected from deportation and made eligible for work permits under the plan. They would not have a path to citizenship, however, and the actions could be reversed by a new president in two years. Officials said the eligible immigrants would not be entitled to federal benefits - including health care tax credits - under Obama's plan.

The 5 million estimate includes extending deportation protections to parents and spouses of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for five years. The president also is likely to expand his 2-year-old program that protects young immigrants from deportation. The administration had considered extending the executive action to parents of young immigrants covered under the 2012 Obama directive, but immigration advocates said they did not expect the parents to be included in the final plan.

"What I'm going to be laying out is the things that I can do with my lawful authority as president to make the system better, even as I continue to work with Congress and encourage them to get a bipartisan, comprehensive bill that can solve the entire problem," Obama said in a video on Facebook.

Laying the groundwork for his actions, Obama invited 18 Democratic members of the House and Senate - but no Republicans - to dinner at the White House on Wednesday. Among the networks airing his Thursday speech will be Univision, which will interrupt the Latin Grammys to carry his remarks, assuring him a huge Spanish-speaking audience. The major broadcast networks - ABC, CBS and NBC - were not planning to air the speech, but cable news networks were.

Obama is to speak at Las Vegas' Del Sol High School on Friday, a school with a large population of non-English speaking students where Obama unveiled his blueprint for comprehensive immigration legislation in 2013.

Republicans vehemently oppose the president's likely actions but are deeply divided and have spent much of the week intensely debating how to respond. Some conservative members have threatened to pursue a government shutdown and one - two-term Republican Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama - raised the specter of impeachment on Wednesday.

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Obama to announce immigration steps Thursday

CHICAGOCold temperatures, heavy snow, and treacherous ice storms are all risks of the impending winter season.

Severe winter weather can be dangerous and even life-threatening for people who dont take the proper precautions, said FEMA Region V acting administrator Janet Odeshoo. Preparedness begins with knowing your risks, making a communications plan with your family and having an emergency supply kit with essentials such as water, food, flashlights and medications.

Once youve taken these steps, consider going beyond the basics of disaster preparedness with the following tips to stay safe this cold season.

Before winter approaches, add the following items to your supply kit: Winterize your winter supply kit Rock salt or other environmentally safe products to melt ice on walkways Sand to improve traction Snow shovels and other snow removal equipment Sufficient heating fuel and/or a good supply of dry, seasoned wood for your fireplace or wood-burning stove Adequate clothing and blankets to keep you warm.

Stay fire safe Keep flammable items at least 3 feet from heat sources like radiators, space heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves. Plug only one heat-producing appliance (such as a space heater) into an electrical outlet at a time.

Ensure you have a working smoke alarm on every level of your home. Check it on a monthly basis. Keep warm, even when its cold outside: If you have a furnace, have it inspected now to ensure its in good working condition.

If your home heating requires propane gas, stock up on your propane supply and ensure you have enough to last an entire winter. Many homeowners faced shortages due to the record freezing winter weather last year, and this season theres the possibility of lower than normal temperatures again. Dont be caught unprepared.

Avoid the dangers of carbon monoxide by installing battery-powered or battery back-up carbon monoxide detectors.

Winterize your home to extend the life of your fuel supply by insulating walls and attics, caulking and weather-stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic.

Prevent frozen pipes If your pipes are vulnerable to freezing, i.e., they run through an unheated or unprotected space, consider keeping your faucet at a slow drip when extremely cold temperatures are predicted.

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Tips to prepare now for severe winter weather ahead

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Sure Step Docks And Walkways - JIMDI, INC.

I dont mean to scare you, but Christmas is only a month and a half away. Thanksgiving is even closer.

Remember how frazzled you were last year?

Holidays bring guests, and guests no matter how welcome bring stress. But with a little preparation, you can reduce that holiday strain before the doorbell even rings.

No, Im not talking about knocking back a couple of shots of Jack Daniels. Im talking about getting your house in shape.

Nows the time to ready the guest rooms, tackle those little maintenance lapses and make sure the house is ready to accommodate a crowd.

Beth Dodson knows how important that is. The co-founder of the home management site HomeZada (www.homezada.com) remembers one holiday when her guests kept spraying themselves accidentally with a kitchen sink sprayer that had an unfortunate tendency to stick. I had a lot of wet people at Thanksgiving that year, she said with a laugh.

Dodson offered a few suggestions for readying your home for the onslaught. Start now, and youll have plenty of time to relax with that cocktail before the guests arrive.

Look for the little problems. Every house has them loose doorknobs, toilet handles that have to be held down, that sink sprayer. We get used to them, so we know how to make them work and hardly even notice them. But guests dont know our work-arounds.

Do them a favor and fix those problems before the holidays, Dodson suggested. It will save your guests the embarrassment of having to ask how to work something or, worse yet, thinking they broke it.

Address plumbing issues. With just a few people in the house, sluggish drains are an annoyance. With a crowd, theyre a flood in the making.

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Get your house ready for holiday guests

I dont mean to scare you, but Christmas is only a month and a half away. Thanksgiving is even closer.

Remember how frazzled you were last year?

Holidays bring guests, and guests no matter how welcome bring stress. But with a little preparation, you can reduce some of that holiday strain before the doorbell even rings.

No, Im not talking about knocking back a couple of shots of Jack Daniels. Im talking about getting your house in shape.

Nows the time to ready the guests rooms, tackle those little maintenance lapses and make sure the house is ready to accommodate a crowd.

Beth Dodson knows how important that is. The co-founder of the home management site HomeZada remembers one holiday when her guests kept spraying themselves accidentally with a cheap kitchen sink sprayer that had an unfortunate tendency to stick. I had a lot of wet people at Thanksgiving that year, she said with a laugh.

Dodson offered a few suggestions for readying your home for the onslaught. Start now, and youll have plenty of time to relax with that cocktail before the guests arrive.

But just one.

Look for the little problems. Every house has them loose doorknobs, toilet handles that have to be held down when youre flushing, that sticking sink sprayer. We get used to them, so we know how to make them work and hardly even notice them. But our guests dont know our work-arounds.

Do them a favor and fix those niggling problems before the holidays, Dodson suggested. It will save your guests the embarrassment of having to ask how to work something or, worse yet, thinking they broke it.

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Prepare home for holiday guests

As baby boomers continue to age, healthcare workers say there is a growing trend of seniors who want to stay in their own homes during their golden years.

I think people really desire to stay where theyre living, to stay in their own place rather than pay for a nursing home or assisted living, if its possible, said Melissa Carlson, an occupational therapist at Fremont Health. Sometimes that is a more cost effective and a more comfortable environment to be able to stay in their own home.

My primary responsibility at the hospital is I see people under home healthcare, those are people who are receiving therapy services in their home, she said. I see it all the time that people want to know how they can be safe in their home, how they can lessen the risk of falling, how things can be easier.

Lynn Lamprecht, president of Fremont-based Promedcare, recently earned certification as an Aging-in-Place Specialist, trained to help people evaluate their homes, and then work with medical professionals and general contractors to recommend modifications to make the home safer and more comfortable.

The Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist program was developed by the National Association of Home Builders.

For me, Lamprecht said, Aging-in-Place is doing the best you can to live in an environment where you want to stay. Most likely, people want to stay at home, and were trying to help them modify their home and just do simple things to help them stay at home safely for as long as they can.

Modifications can range from making the bathroom more accessible with raised toilets, grab bars, no-slip floors and easy-entrance showers and baths, to installation of elevators and lifts.

Sometimes it can be little things that dont really cost any money, Carlson said. It can be picking up throw rugs that are all over, which I see a lot of. ... Just trying to organize the environment better, and as youre thinking about the future you can think about things like adding a ramp or a rail or something. Obviously those do cost money, but you can make little changes that help make people safer in their homes too, its a start and youve got to start somewhere.

Once in a while Ill see somebody who, as theyve aged theyve lost some height, so perhaps they can no longer reach where they hung their clothes on their closet rod, so Ill make a recommendation to think about lowering that rod so you can reach it, she said.

As an occupational therapist, Carlson gets involved under a physicians order, typically after someone has suffered a medical event or health condition has developed.

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Local experts help aging baby boomers stay in their homes

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Tuesday, November 11, 2014 2:14PM EST Last Updated Tuesday, November 11, 2014 9:59PM EST

A 16-year-old girl who was horrifically beaten and left for dead in the Assiniboine River is now recovering in hospital, as homicide detective search for suspects.

Winnipeg police have obtained surveillance video of 16-year-old Rinelle Harper on the night of the attack, and are using it to retrace her steps, CTV News has learned.

The video shows Rinelle walking along Assiniboine Avenue with what appears to be two males.

Police say Rinelle became separated from her friends last Friday night, and was attacked near a downtown bridge, ending up in the freezing river.

She was discovered, badly beaten, along the riverwalk by a passerby the next morning, and taken to hospital in critical condition, according to police. The girl is currently in stable condition.

Rinelles aunt, Holly Harper, told CTV Winnipeg that the entire family is trying to understand how the attack could have happened.

"I can't even imagine what would provoke such an attack, such a brutal attack on my niece. Who in their right mind would do something so horrible?" she said.

Officers made the rare move of naming Rinelle on Monday, with the permission of her family. They're hoping that by disclosing her name they will encourage witnesses to come forward.

"Rinelle is a person in this community," Supt. Danny Smyth told reporters at a news conference Monday.

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Video may hold clues after Winnipeg girl beaten, left for dead in river

Fifty-six projects to improve transportation alternatives are in line for $33 million in federal funds, PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch announced today.

Transportation alternative projects enhance pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve access to public transportation, create safe routes to school, preserve historic transportation structures, provide environmental mitigation, create trails that serve a transportation purpose, and promote safety and mobility.

These awards represent yet another way PennDOT is working to broaden the reach of transportation investments in Pennsylvania, Schoch said. Combined with awards from the new state Multimodal Fund and the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Fund, this program opens the door to an even wider variety of improvements for the people of Pennsylvania.

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, the 2012 federal transportation authorization act known as MAP-21, introduced fundamental changes to the administration of local programs, including those that had existed as separate programs in SAFETEA-LU, the previous authorization act. Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School, Scenic Byways and the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) are now consolidated into the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP).

PennDOT evaluated the applications and made selections based on such criteria as safety benefits, reasonableness of cost, readiness for implementation, statewide or regional significance, integration of land use and transportation decision making, collaboration with stakeholders, and leverage of other projects or funding.

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Fifty-six Projects Receive Federal Funds to Improve Transportation Alternatives

Reference N14165E

Minister MacKay announces Government of Canada support for the Westville Memorial Cenotaph

November 8, 2014 Westville, NS Veterans Affairs Canada

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Minister Responsible for Nova Scotia, today announced Government of Canada funding to the Pictou County Military Museum and the Town of Westville. Support is being provided to assist with the restoration, improved accessibility and beautification of the Westville Memorial Cenotaph. Minister MacKay made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of Veterans Affairs.

The cenotaph has been the gathering point for community remembrance and commemorative events since its construction in 1921. Planned restoration work includes repairs to the statue and the base, and new plaques will be placed over existing engravings deemed beyond repair. Existing entrance steps will be restored and new walkways and handrails installed, improving accessibility.

Ensuring that local cenotaphs are maintained is critical to paying tribute to our Veterans. I encourage all Canadians to visit a local cenotaph or memorial in their community to honour the sacrifice and service of our Veterans.

The funding of restoration projects and commemorative ceremonies throughout Central Nova helps us pay tribute to the sacrifices of local veterans. Our Government will continue its steadfast support for Canadian Veterans and their families.

I am very pleased that the Government of Canada is supporting the restoration of our cenotaph. It is gratifying to see our collective efforts combining to return the cenotaph to its original glory in honour of our Veterans and the sacrifices they have made and continue to make.

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Barbara Mottram Director of Communications Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs 613-996-4649

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Major cenotaph enhancements ensure enduring commemoration of local Veterans