Scrolling around...September 16, 2013

'Biblical' Floods Leave Thousands Homeless
Some of the worst flooding in Colorado history has claimed the lives of at least six people, left hundreds unaccounted for and thousands homeless, causing the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team to deploy to the Rocky Mountains.

With rains falling through the weekend and most areas suffering from a sudden surge caused by 15 inches of rain, mudslides have complicated an enormous disaster area from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.

“It’s the worst that anyone has ever seen,” says Al New, Rapid Response Team manager of deployments and operations. “They’re calling it their 100-year flood.”...

For prayer: Police search for active shooter on grounds of Washington Navy Yard in Southeast D.C.   Police said that at least three, possibly four, people were shot. All are in critical condition, authorities said.

What we know: Colorado's floods, by the numbers
Wretched weather continued to hamper rescue efforts in Colorado on Sunday as officials released damage estimates illustrating the magnitude of the disaster.

By the numbers, here's some analysis of what we know about Colorado's floods, along with what we don't...

Too Bad ObamaCare Works as Intended
Year after year, Forbes magazine places Wegmans Food Markets high on its “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, usually in the top five in the country. The supermarkets are based in Rochester, New York, a region that has been hit hard by economic stagnation, with downsizing at several companies (like Xerox and Kodak) that were once the biggest employers in the region. Wegmans has been a refuge for many employees, drawn to its generous salaries, bonuses, and benefits package. Last year Forbes cited its low turnover rate (3.4 percent last year) as a factor in why the supermarkets are such popular places to work. Despite the critical role that the supermarket chain plays in the local economy, Wegmans became a less coveted place to work this summer when it was announced that some part-time workers’ health benefits would be cut thanks to ObamaCare, and earlier this week it was announced that Trader Joe’s would do the same....

Royal Baby Prince George Receives Painting from Down's Syndrome Artist Tazia Fawley
Prince William and Kate Middleton have accepted a painting from an artist with Down's syndrome for Prince George's nursery.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were given the painting, worth £2,000, by Tazia Fawley, who lives in Somerset...

For Firefighters, Solar Panels Are A New Type Of Trouble
...Panels and wiring stay energized even when panel breakers are open, Reuters notes, so a panel poses a risk even when a circuit is ostensibly turned off. And if firefighters need to make holes in the roof, panels can impede fire crews in fighting a fire...

Audit Finds IRS Employees Don’t Follow Their Own Rules  ...“Neither we nor the IRS know with any degree of precision how well the IRS is complying with direct contact provisions,” the auditors wrote.

The Office of Appeals handled more than 72,000 cases during the audit period, which ran Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2012.

“When the sample results are projected to the population, we estimate that the deviations may have negatively affected 8,277 taxpayers,” auditors wrote.

Of a greater concern to the auditors was the possibility the IRS could be vulnerable to lawsuits from taxpayers who try to recover monetary damages from the agency if they believe its personnel are intentionally disregarding the rules.

During the same time, the Treasury Inspector General closed 13 direct contact complaints involving IRS personnel, but only two employees were disciplined or counseled by IRS management officials for their actions, according to the audit report...

Abortion Clinics Closing at Record Rate
...This year, 42 clinics that provided surgical abortions have shut their doors, and two that offered chemical abortions by drugs also have closed, according to Operation Rescue, which monitors closings and health and safety violations by clinics nationwide. That number far surpasses the 25 surgical clinics shutdown last year and the 30 in 2011, by Operation Rescue's count. While others estimate a smaller number of closings, the pattern is clear.

Some of the shutdowns have been of major clinics. For instance, Virginia's No. 1 abortion provider closed, The Washington Post reported in July. NOVA Women's Healthcare in Fairfax, Va., shut down after state and local governments enacted regulations the abortion provider appeared unable to meet. The northern Virginia clinic performed 3,066 abortions in 2012 and 3,567 in 2011...

Abortion Practitioners Played Catch With Bodies of Babies Killed in Abortion  ...Former workers in the abortion industry have told us stories about playing games of toss with aborted babies in the hallway. Your mind has to invert what is going on: to make it a game, a joke, something positive. It’s the only way to keep from going crazy — and some of them do...

Two Christians murdered in Egypt for refusing to pay Muslim poll tax  Two Coptic Christian government employees have been shot dead for refusing to pay Jizya, the Muslim poll tax on Christians.

According to a story by Mary Abdelmassih for the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA), Emad Damian, 50, and his cousin Medhat Damian, 37, from the village of Sahel Selim in Assuit Province, were contacted two days before their murder by the leader of a Muslim gang.

He was identified by Watany Coptic Newspaper as Ashraf Ahmed Mohammed Khalajah, a registered criminal from the village...