Armoral Tuttle Public Library

Abortion-rights backers want quick action from the president-elect, although they may not press for sweeping changes. Obama has said he is looking to find common ground on reproductive health issues.

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Michael Jackson's father is seeking an allowance from his son's estate to help cover expenses that exceed $15,000 a month, according to court documents filed Friday. The entertainer's 2002 will made no reference to his father, with whom he had an often strained relationship.

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According to The Cabin, their Readings and Conversations lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 10 featuring Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been postponed due to an illness in Adichie's family.

The Cabin’s artistic and executive director Paul Shaffer noted on their Web site: "We hope to reschedule her Boise appearance sometime early next year.”

All tickets already purchased for Adichie’s Readings and Conversations lecture will be accepted at the door at the rescheduled event. If you have any questions, call The Cabin at 208-331-8000.

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After a mass shooting, people who knew the gunman find themselves wondering what warning signs they might have missed. So it is in the case of Maj. Nidal Hasan, the man authorities say opened fire on his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood.

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Remember your first bike? Well, here’s your chance to help give that memory to some local kids.

The Boise Bicycle Project is looking for volunteers to help fix up some used kids bikes which will be given away to children whose families might otherwise not be able to afford a bike.

They’ve already finished 75 of the 150 they hope to gift this year as part of the third annual Christmas Kids Bike Giveaway. Anyone interested can turn out for volunteer nights from 6-8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. BBP is also looking for donations of training wheels to go on those bikes.

Call BBP for more info at 208-429-6520.

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As an Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan heard the horror stories of war on a daily basis from the soldiers he was treating for post-traumatic stress disorder.

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We wrote this week about Idaho Power's digital smart meters, which most of Ada County residents now have outside their homes. The Idaho Business Review also reported on Idaho Power's federal stimulus grant, as well as other stimulus money coming to Idaho utilities.

We did promise ya'll in the article that we'd walk you through the process for analyzing your hourly power consumption, so here ya go, step by step. We'd love to hear from readers how you plan to use this glut of new information.

If you want to read your actual digital meter, the one outside your house, you can follow the detailed instructions in the Idaho Power video on this page.

First step: Go to idahopower.com.

• Log in to your Idaho Power account, you may need to register, if you have not done that before.

• Then click on the "Energy Usage for ..." drop down menu at the bottom of your billing information.

• Then choose "Detailed Meter Data" and click on the bar representing any month.

• And voila, you can see when your kid gets up in the middle of the night to visit the refrigerator, the extra processor use in the middle of the day when someone is surfing, or, seriously, all the appliances that suck juice just because, even when you are not using them.

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The story of suspected Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan is a reminder of the stresses and potential pitfalls Muslims and Arab-Americans face in serving in the U.S. armed forces in a post-9/11 world.

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In Fort Hood, Texas, investigators are collecting information about Thursday's deadly attack at a soldier processing center. Thirteen people were killed, 12 of them soldiers, and 30 were wounded when a gunman, identified as Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire in the facility.

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Consumers borrowed less for a record eighth straight month in September amid rising unemployment and tight credit conditions. Economists worry the declines in borrowing will drag on the fledgling recovery. The Federal Reserve said borrowing fell at an annual rate of $14.8 billion in September.

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The government says the nation's unemployment rate hit 10.2 percent last month, the highest since 1983. Economists had expected the figure to rise to 9.9 percent.

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As Fort Hood, Texas, takes stock of Thursday's attack, those who lived through it are providing new details about what went on inside the Soldier Readiness Processing Center. Soldiers and others who were there when the gunman — named by the military as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan — opened fire discuss how the events unfolded.

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Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick just released the following statement indicating he will vote against the House's Affordable Health Care for America Act:

“Over the last several months, I have met with thousands of constituents from all over Idaho’s First Congressional District. They are gravely concerned about the economy, about job security, and about the kinds of opportunities their children and grandchildren will have to make a better life.

“Like most of them, I believe that cutting down the cost of health care is one important step we can take in moving our economy forward. We need to reform the insurance industry by demanding accountability and increasing private-sector competition. We must reduce government spending on programs such as a Medicare, and look to Idaho for examples of ways to do just that. And we must reduce costs throughout the health-care system, so the long-term benefits of reform will truly help our economy to grow and our nation to prosper.

“Unfortunately, the new health-care bill in the House does not adequately meet those goals, so I will vote ‘no.’ However, I am encouraged by the work of the U.S. Senate, and am hopeful that the final bill I vote on will be one that all Idahoans can support.”

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We get a lot of announcements for contests, but this is the first time we’ve ever seen one asking people to decorate their shoes with holiday themes.

Shu’s Idaho Running Company is holding the Shu’s Holiday Shoe Contest between now and Dec. 23 as a fundraiser for Girls on the Run, an organization that helps young girls through mentoring and track.

Contestants are challenged to decorate a pair of shoes with a holiday theme, be it Christmas, Thanksgiving or maybe even the winter solstice. Just bring the fancy footwear to Shu’s—along with the requested $10 donation. The shoes will be judged and the $10 goes to Girls on the run.

The owner of the winning pair will receive a $50 gift card, socks and a goodie bag, while second place will walk with a $25 gift card, socks and a goodie bag.

Stop by Shu’s, 1758 W. State St. or call 208-344-6604 for more info.

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The H1N1 virus is a major concern for Saudi Arabian authorities, who are gearing up to host millions of Muslims on the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Health officials are making recommendations and monitoring pilgrims, but otherwise can do little to mitigate the virus' spread.

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A special report from All Things Considered and NPR.org explores the challenges facing President Obama, America and Afghanistan in the troubled region and the options available to the U.S.

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The U.S. envoy to the U.N. rejects claims that the Obama administration's pace of determining a strategy in Afghanistan is a sign of weakness. What would be "weak and dangerous," Susan Rice says, is a rushed decision made without thoroughly considering the implications for U.S. national security.

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News that the jobless rate has crossed the psychologically important 10 percent mark comes in the same week that Democrats suffered a sobering Election Day. Some experts say it dims Democratic prospects not just for 2010 but for the health care vote this weekend.

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After a routine resupply mission, the American soldiers disappeared and more than 25 NATO and Afghan security forces members were wounded during the search mission for them, the alliance said Friday.

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