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Exxon Official: Get Used to Lower Oil Prices

exxonNEW YORK (AP) — Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson expects the price of oil to remain low over the next two years because of ample global supplies and relatively weak economic growth.

Speaking at the company’s annual investor meeting in New York, Tillerson cautioned that geopolitical turmoil could unexpectedly send prices higher. But he said that if tensions calm, much more oil is ready to hit the market — a market that is already flush with crude oil.

Exxon’s presentation to investors outlining its business plans through 2017 assumes a price of $55 a barrel for global crude. That’s $5 below where Brent crude, the most important global benchmark, traded on Wednesday. It’s about half of what Brent averaged between 2011 and the middle of last year.

School: Student Brings Moonshine to Class; Teacher in Trouble

highschoolDE GRAFF, Ohio (AP) — Officials say a 13-year-old Ohio boy was suspended for bringing moonshine to school, and a science teacher who knew he was making the illegal alcohol was reprimanded for not reporting that the boy brought it to class.

The boy brought the liquid to school in De Graff, about 50 miles northwest of Columbus, in January. Riverside Local Schools Superintendent Scott Mann tells the Dayton Daily News he thinks the teen wanted to show it to the teacher but didn’t mean any harm. The teacher dumped it into a drain.

She later received a written reprimand for not immediately reporting the situation.

The Bellefontaine Examiner reports sheriff’s investigators determined the teen and another boy had discussed the moonshine-making process with the teacher, and she’d warned them it could be dangerous.

‘FREAK Attack’ Flaw Affected Apple, Android Browsers

AppleSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Millions of people may have been left vulnerable to hackers while surfing the web on Apple and Google devices, thanks to a newly discovered security flaw known as “FREAK attack.”

There’s no evidence any hackers have exploited the weakness, which companies are working to repair. Researchers who reported the problem this week blamed an old government policy, abandoned several years ago, which required U.S. software-makers to use weaker security in encryption programs sold overseas.

Many popular websites and some Internet browsers can still be tricked into accepting the weaker software. That could make it easier for hackers to break encryption that’s supposed to prevent digital eavesdropping when a visitor types sensitive information into a website. Apple and Google say they’re distributing software updates to fix the flaw.

Lawmakers Take Another Crack at Expanding Gun Checks

gun-showWASHINGTON (AP) — Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is returning to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to help kick-start a longshot campaign to expand criminal background checks to all commercial firearms sales.

Similar legislation that sought to expand background checks failed to get a hearing in the House last session. With the GOP expanding its majority and winning control of the Senate, prospects for the bill may be even more unlikely this session.

Still, Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson of California predicts the legislation would pass if GOP leadership would let it come to the House floor.

The National Rifle Association opposes expanding background checks, saying many people sent to prison because of gun crimes get their guns through theft or the black market, and no amount of background checks can stop those criminals.

Regulators to Police: Issue More Tickets at Railroad Crossings

railroad crossingWHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — National railroad regulators are asking local police departments to issue more tickets to drivers who ignore warnings at crossings.

The Federal Railroad Administration says it’s the first step in a safety campaign. The campaign was spurred by accidents last month in Valhalla, New York, and Oxnard, California, that killed seven people. The engineer in the California crash died Tuesday.

The agency is calling for greater police presence at grade crossings and more citations for violations. It is not providing any new funding.

FRA spokesman Kevin Thompson said Tuesday that the agency has enlisted the cooperation of the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Thompson said his agency will provide materials the groups can pass on to their members.

Federal Study: Foster Kids Struggle to Get Health Screenings

Medical-ChartFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A study by federal health investigators warns that some foster children are not getting their required medical screenings even though the visits are paid for by Medicaid.

The Health and Human Services’ inspector general study released Monday looked at a random sample of roughly 400 foster children from California, Texas, New York and Illinois. It found nearly 30 percent did not receive one or more of their required health screenings between 2011 and 2012. Of those who did not receive at least one required screening, 12 percent didn’t get an initial screening and 17 percent didn’t receive one or more periodic screenings.

Experts say foster children experience high rates of chronic medical, developmental, and mental health issues. They often face challenges getting access to health care.

North Dakota Woman Accused of Locking Children in Kennel

child-abuseGRAFTON, N.D. (AP) — A woman is accused of locking four young children in a dog cage in a North Dakota basement and turning out the lights as punishment.

23-year-old Jordan McKay Nelson is charged with four counts of abuse and neglect of a child, and felonious restraint.

Court documents say the children, aged from 5 to 9 years, were held under “terrorizing conditions” and that at least one of them was forced to eat dog food.

During a police interview, a boy drew a picture of himself in the kennel with the words “help me.”

A police affidavit says Nelson is in a relationship with the children’s biological mother. Her lawyer did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

A preliminary hearing is set for April 13.

Obama: ‘Now is the Moment’ for Police to Change

obama-fundraiserWASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says now is the moment for police to make changes that build trust in minority communities.

The president on Monday announced findings of a policing task force he appointed in response to the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

Obama says the shooting in Ferguson and another in New York City exposed “deep rooted frustration” in communities of color. Obama says the task force found that police must improve trust with their communities.

He says the report recommends more police training to reduce possibilities for bias. And he says it suggests more data collection on the frequency of police interactions.

Obama spoke from the White House during a meeting with members of the task force.

3rd Child Dies After Carbon Monoxide Leak in Ohio Home

carbon-monoxideTROY, Ohio (AP) — A third child has died after being found in an Ohio home where there were high levels of carbon monoxide.

13-year-old Jakia Jones died Sunday.

Her cousins 14-year-old Dionanna Bishop and 13-year-old Dejah Bishop died Friday after a relative found them unconscious inside a home in Troy. Her 8-year-old brother, Jahari Jones, is in critical condition.

Police say a furnace caused the leak of carbon monoxide, an odorless and colorless gas created when some fuels are burned. The relative reported to police the children had been sick for days. The children lived with their grandmother, who was hospitalized with pneumonia Friday.

An attorney for a couple who own the home says they weren’t aware of furnace problems and didn’t know children lived there.

Authorities Seize 15 Tons of Marijuana at US-Mexico Border

POT-BUSTSAN DIEGO (AP) — Federal authorities have seized more than 15 tons of marijuana in a near-record bust at a border crossing in Southern California.

More than 1,200 packages of marijuana valued at nearly $19 million were seized this week from a truck-trailer carrying mattresses and cushions at the Otay Mesa border crossing.

Authorities arrested the truck’s 46-year-old driver and seized the vehicle late Thursday.

The newspaper says the seizure was the second-largest in a single incident at a U.S. border crossing, trailing a more than 35,000-pound bust in 2013.

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