| Citizenship paths may stall immigration overhaul
For some conservatives, any plan to legalize illegal immigrants will be hard to swallow. And for advocates, who will meet at a Washington summit this week expected to draw 200 grass-roots groups, anything short of that is seen as inhumane.
Cecilia Munoz, vice president of the National Council of La Raza, the Hispanic civil rights and advocacy group, points to the previous Senate bill's three-tiered legalization system as an example of the contortions that result when lawmakers try to compromise.
"It didn't pick up any votes and it made the program unworkable," Munoz said. "After many years of trying to reach that middle ground, it may be time to admit that it does not exist."
.
New gift ban law may bar college scholarships
Dozens, if not hundreds, of Colorado students - many of them low-income - are in jeopardy of losing major college scholarships because of the new gift-ban law known as Amendment 41. Administrators at the Boettcher Foundation and the Daniels Fund, who award the state's largest and most prestigious private scholarships, say a large percentage of their student finalists have close relatives who are state or local government workers. Daniels Fund officials say many of those candidates will no longer receive scholarships unless lawmakers exempt such awards. Boettcher Foundation hasn't decided what to do. Up to half of the 72 finalists for the full-ride Boettcher scholarships - and as many as half of the 160 students currently receiving those funds - could lose aid if the law is interpreted in the strictest fashion, said Tim Schultz, president and executive director of the Boettcher Foundation.
Hidden Symptoms of GERD
Nearly half of all Americans suffer from gastroesphageal reflux disease, with the biggest symptom being heartburn. But there are other symptoms of gerd that may cause misdiagnosis. KPLC's Laila Morcos has more on the disease and what to look for. General Vascular and Thoracic Surgeon Ronald Kober is the answer to many patient's prayers. "At least 40 to 50 percent of Americans suffer from heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease," says Dr. Kober. Heartburn is the most common symptom of gerd. But about 20 percent of people with acid reflux have no symptoms of heartburn. "Frequently they're misdiagnosed as having upper respiratory tract infections, asthma and sinusitis," says Dr. Kober, which can be very dangerous. He says, "It can lead to significant complications, ulcerations and internal bleeding.")) Dr.
Income trusts getting tasty returns
Income trusts might have given some investors indigestion, but their double-digit returns are still very much in favour with those seeking a high-yield investment. Income trusts swooned after Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's announcement last fall that existing trusts would be subject to a four-year transition period, after which they would be subject to a 31.5-per-cent corporate tax. That was sufficient to send trusts, with the exception of real estate investment trusts (REITs), which were exempt from Flaherty's ruling, into a tailspin. On Nov. 14, two weeks after Flaherty's announcement, income trusts had skidded to a 22.6-per-cent loss that erased billions of dollars in market value and stopped others - primarily Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. - dead in their tracks.
|
