THE DYNAMIC OF THIS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR COULD BE CHANGING A BIT ACCORDING TO SOME FINDINGS CONTAINED IN A NEW ABC NEWS/WASHINGTON POST POLL. IT SHOWS THAT WHILE FULLY 68 PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED BELIEVE THE COUNTRY IS HEADED DOWN THE WRONG ROAD ECONOMICALLY, THAT NUMBER REPRESENTS A NINE PERCENT DROP FROM SEPTEMBER. WHILE THAT COULD BE PERCEIVED AS GOOD FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA, WHOSE APPROVAL RATING STANDS AT 48 PERCENT IN THE SAME POLL, HIS PROSPECTS FOR RE-ELECTION WHILE IMPROVING REMAIN FAR FROM IDEAL.

AS THE CURTAIN RAISES ON THE CURRENT SESSION OF CONGRESS, IT’LL BE BACK TO BATTLING OVER WHETHER TO PROLONG EXTENSIONS IN A PAYROLL TAX CUT AND UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS THROUGH THE END OF 2012. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS OUT WITH A PREVIEW OF WHAT MAY COME ON THE HILL OVER THOSE ISSUES AND THE ISSUE OF MEDICARE, SPECIFICALLY CHANGING THE FEES CHARGED BY MEDICARE TO DOCTORS, WHICH COULD MAKE IT HARDER FOR RECIPIENTS TO GET SOME COVERAGES. DOCTOR OF OPHTHALMOLOGY NAN HAYWORTH WAS IDENTIFIED BY THE AP AS SOMEONE TO WATCH ON THAT FRONT AS THE FRESHMAN REPUBLICAN REPRESENTING NEW YORK’S 19TH DISTRICT IN CONGRESS. THE AP SAYS SHE’S IN A POSITION TO OFFER INPUT TO NEGOTIATIONS ABOUT CHANGES TO THE FEES MEDICARE CHARGES TO DOCTORS. THOSE CHANGES ARE TO BE DISCUSSED ALONG WITH THE U-I BENEFIT AND PAYROLL TAX CUT EXTENSIONS. THE AP LISTS HAYWORTH AMONG 20 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS POISED TO BECOME KEY PLAYERS IN THE COMING NEGOTIATIONS.

THE WORLD BANK IS OUT WITH ITS FORECAST FOR GLOBAL ECONOMIC GROWTH. IT INDICATES SLOWER GROWTH THAN WHAT WAS FIRST ANTICIPATED IN BOTH DEVELOPING ECONOMIES — NOW 5-POINT-FOUR RATHER THAN SIX-POINT-TWO PERCENT — AND DEVELOPED COUNTRIES TOO, WITH A RATE OF GROWTH NOW PEGGED AT ONE-POINT-FOUR RATHER THAN THE EARLIER 2.7 PERCENT FORECAST. IN THE DEBT-RIDDLED E-U, THE WORLD BANK SEES A CONTRACTION WITH A MINUS THREE-TENTHS OF ONE PERCENT FIGURE IN CONTRAST TO THEIR PREVIOUS OUTLOOK FOR A ONE-POINT-EIGHT PERCENT EURO ZONE GROWTH FOR 2012.

IN A BUDGET SPEECH WHICH COULD SET UP A NEW BATTLE BETWEEN GOVERNOR CUOMO, THE LEGISLATURE AND TEACHERS UNIONS, GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO TUESDAY OFFERED A PROPOSAL TO SPEND ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO POINT FIVE (B) BILLION DOLLARS IN FISCAL 2012-2013. CUOMO LOOKED BACK ON A YEAR OF ACCOMPLISHMENT DURING HIS FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE WITH THE WORDS, “WE CREATED A SENSE OF OPTIMISM AND HOPE.” IF CUOMO WANTS TO REPEAT THOSE SUCCESSES IN 2012, HE MAY HAVE HIS WORK CUT OUT FOR HIM: HE’S INSISTING ON TYING A FOUR PERCENT INCREASE IN AID TO EDUCATION STATEWIDE TO NEW STANDARDS FOR EVALUATING TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS.  CUOMO OFFERED A DEADLINE OF 30 DAYS FOR THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS TO RESOLVE THEIR LEGAL DIFFERENCES OVER A NEW SYSTEM FOR TEACHER EVALUATIONS. IF THEY FAIL TO DO SO, CUOMO WILL AMEND THE BUDGET TO INCLUDE PROVISIONS FOR TEACHER EVALS.

THE PROCESS OF CHOOSING JURORS TO HEAR THE MURDER CASE AGAINST MICHAEL MELE IS NOW COMPLETE, AND HIS TRIAL ON CHARGES STEMMING FROM THE DEATH OF LAURA GARZA WILL BEGIN IN EARNEST NEXT WEEK. MELE IS CHARGED WITH KILLING GARZA, A 25-YEAR-OLD ASPIRING DANCER WHO WAS LAST SEEN IN MELE’S COMPANY IN MANHATTAN BEFORE HER DISAPPEARANCE IN LATE 2008. GARZA’S BODY WAS DISCOVERED MORE THAN A YEAR LATER IN LACKAWANNA COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA. ELSEWHERE IN ORANGE COUNTY COURT, MORE TESTIMONY WAS GIVEN IN THE CORY BYRD MURDER TRIAL. IN DECEMBER 2009 BYRD, WHO ALREADY WAS ON PAROLE FOR CHILD ENDANGERMENT WAS BABYSITTING A FOUR YEAR-OLD BOY, MARC BOOKAL. MONTHS AFTER HIS DISAPPEARANCE, BOOKAL’S REMAINS WERE DISCOVERED IN A NEWBURGH VACANT LOT THE FOLLOWING SPRING.

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Headlines provided by Bob Schaeffer for WALL Radio 1340 AM
Mark West in the Morning with Bob Schaeffer and Jack George

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1. Headlines January 16 2012
2. Headlines January 5 2012
3. Headlines January 12 2012