Kasich signs orders to aid families

Kasich signs orders to aid families

COLUMBUS

Gov. John Kasich has signed executive orders to help low-income families, fund after-school programs and expand access to addiction treatment.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Kasich authorized spending $1 million on a statewide program providing after-school programs for low-income children.

The governor also issued an order including licensed independent chemical dependency counselors in Medicaid coverage to increase access to addiction treatment. It will allow about 100 agencies in the state to offer chemical-dependency counseling.

His moves also allocate more money for a program that works to reduce the problem of low-birth-weight babies.

Funding also is going to an Akron-based prisoner re-entry program and an early childhood parenting program in Toledo.

South Korea cuts growth outlook, plans stimulus

SEOUL, South Korea

South Korea’s government says growth in Asia’s fourth-largest economy will be lower than expected as the global economy faces heightened uncertainty.

Finance Ministry said Tuesday South Korea’s economy will likely expand 2.8 percent this year, down from its December prediction of 3.1 percent.

The government said global conditions for exports, South Korea’s key growth engine, have deteriorated. The International Monetary Fund cut in April its outlook for the world economy and trade.

At home, the government expects that companies will sharply lower their capital expenditures as sluggish exports continue. Corporate restructuring at cash-strapped shipbuilding and other industries could hurt job markets and corporate spending, it said.

The government plans a $8.5 billion supplementary budget to support big projects that would fuel job creation.

Rio gov.: Olympics may be ‘big failure’

RIO DE JANEIRO

Rio de Janeiro’s acting governor warned Monday that the Olympic Games could be a “big failure,” because of budget shortfalls that threaten to compromise security and mobility during the games.

In an interview with Rio’s O Globo daily, Francisco Dornelles said the state is still awaiting a 2.9 billion Brazilian real ($860 million) payout from the federal government aimed at shoring up state coffers ahead of the Aug. 5-21 event. The funds were allocated last week but have not yet reached the state, and Dornelles warned that without them, police patrols may grind to a halt by the end of the week, for lack of gas money.

“I’m optimistic about the games, but I have to show reality,” he said. “We can have a great Olympics, but if some steps aren’t taken, it can be a big failure.”

6-month sentence for store owner

HONOLULU

The owner of a Hawaii jewelry and gift retail business is going to federal prison for six months because of a wildlife trafficking scheme.

Curtis Wilmington pleaded guilty in March, saying he purchased raw walrus tusks and whale teeth from Alaska, smuggled them to the Philippines to be carved into fish hooks and smuggled the pieces back to Hawaii. Authorities say he then sold the fish hook pendants at hotel boutiques, passing them off as made in Hawaii by local artisans.

A federal judge on Monday also sentenced Wilmington to three years’ supervision and to pay a $40,000 fine.

Wilmington says he also smuggled black coral from Mexico to Hawaii.

He says he knew it was illegal to ship the items without proper documentation and permits.

Associated Press