Memo: 23K jobs at risk with drilling ban

Memo: 23K jobs at risk with drilling ban

WASHINGTON

A six-month ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico would directly put more than 9,000 people out of work and indirectly affect an additional 14,000 jobs, according to a memo from the nation’s top drilling regulator.

The federal document, which weighed the economic impact and alternatives to the ban, was sent to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on July 10 by Michael Bromwich.

Salazar issued a moratorium in June, but it was struck down by a federal judge in New Orleans after oil- and gas-drilling interests said it wasn’t justified after the Gulf oil spill.

The Obama administration issued a new moratorium July 12 — two days after the memo. The White House hopes the revised ban will pass muster with the courts.

Gunmen invade Rio luxury hotel

RIO DE JANEIRO

Heavily armed drug-gang members engaged in an intense firefight with police then fled into a luxury hotel popular with foreign tourists and held about 30 people hostage for three hours Saturday before surrendering.

The upscale, beachside neighborhood of Sao Conrado where the Intercontinental Hotel sits was transformed into a war zone as upward of 50 gunmen with high-caliber rifles, pistols and even hand grenades faced off with police.

Australian election is too close to call

CANBERRA, Australia

It could take more than a week to learn who will govern Australia after a cliffhanger election — the closest in nearly 50 years — and the winner may have to woo the support of a handful of independent lawmakers to assume power.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Australia’s first female prime minister who seized power in an internal Labor Party coup only two months ago, said Saturday she will remain the nation’s caretaker leader during the “anxious days ahead” as vote- counting continues.

Ex-USDA official to discuss job offer

EPES, Ala.

Former USDA official Shirley Sherrod says she is meeting with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday to discuss a new job offer.

Sherrod was forced to resign last month after a conservative blogger posted excerpts from a March speech depicting her as racist. The NAACP and others, including the USDA, condemned the remarks before grasping the full context of the story, which was meant as a lesson in overcoming racism.

Blagojevich earns cash at Comic Con

ROSEMONT, Ill.

Former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich compared himself to a superhero as he stood alongside folks dressed as Superman and Batman at the Chicago Comic Con.

Blagojevich said Saturday at the show in suburban Chicago that he draws inspiration from the superheros as he faces his own battles.

He charged $80 for each photo taken with him and $50 for autographs.

‘Star Gazer’ host Horkheimer dies

MIAMI

Jack Horkheimer, the creator and host of the PBS show “Star Gazer” who helped popularize naked-eye astronomy, has died. He was 72.

The Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium, where Horkheimer was director emeritus, said in a news release that the astronomer died Friday of a respiratory ailment.

Horkheimer was director of the planetarium for more than 35 years.

Millions of people have watched the weekly “Star Gazer” program since its inception in the 1970s, getting advice on what to look for in the night sky.

Associated Press