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Sour times for dairy farms
If you went grocery shopping this weekend, you might've noticed you paid less for a gallon of milk. That's good for your family budget, but as our Deb Feyerick found out – it's hurting a lot of mom and pop dairy farmers out there.
Behind the scenes: A baby is born
Our assignment was to shoot a story on the economic plight of the dairy farmer, but we got so much more than we bargained for. We were lucky enough to take part in the birth of a calf, while not rare for a farm with over 400 cows, it was a thrill for us nonetheless. We were taking a tour of the farm with owner Alan Bourbeau when we heard a loud groan come from the woods across the street. After we gave him looks of confusion, he explained to us that one of his heifers was in labor. So, we all jumped into the back of his truck and drove across the street to trek through cow patties to find the cow.
Sheriff calls on National Guard in 'fiscal emergency'
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/06/mike.hale.cnn.art.jpg caption="Sheriff Mike Hale says there won't be enough cops to patrol the streets of Jefferson County, Alabama."]
When you hear that the National Guard has been called in, the first thing that comes to mind is – where's the natural disaster? Jefferson County, Alabama isn’t facing a natural disaster; it's facing a fiscal one. Now the sheriff there says he needs help and he’s calling for backup.
Sheriff Mike Hale says there won't be enough cops to patrol the streets in his county and the National Guard may be needed to protect the community. He spoke to Joe Johns on CNN’s “American Morning” Thursday.
Joe Johns: When you look at this thing, the first thing that comes to mind is the county's image. And I wonder if people are speaking to you this morning about whether this is a good PR move so to speak.
Mike Hale: It's not about a PR move. The folks in Jefferson County elected me to keep neighborhoods and communities safe. The only thing I have failed to do is have the local government understand what their first responsibility is – and that's to keep neighborhoods and communities safe. They've broken a contract with the people of Jefferson County and my job and my plan is to make sure that the governor will give us some funds to keep the deputies rolling. And if funds are unavailable, I need some force multipliers to work with my deputy sheriffs to keep this community safe.
Elkhart mayor: Thank you President Obama
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/05/moore.mayor.art.cnn.jpg caption="Elkhart, Indiana Mayor Dick Moore is optimistic for economic recovery in his town where unemployment is near 17%."]
The White House today is pushing President Obama's plans to fix the economy. The president is going back to a place that was devastated by the recession: Elkhart, Indiana. Unemployment there is nearly 17%. That is up ten points since last year.
So do people there have any hope that an economic recovery is on the way? Elkhart’s mayor, Dick Moore, spoke to John Roberts on CNN’s “American Morning” Wednesday.
John Roberts: We should point out that … Elkhart, Indiana, is famous as the RV capital of America. Let’s talk about what’s been happening there. Unemployment was up around 18%, a little more than 18% for a while earlier this year. It's down a little bit to about 16.8%. Is this any kind of effect of the stimulus that the president had passed earlier this year? What's the situation there now in Elkhart?
Dick Moore: Well I certainly think so. I remember the comment that doing nothing is absolutely not an option. And I do believe something has to be done. And I think we're experiencing the effects of what has been done at this time. Here in Elkhart we're seeing some spending has increased. The economic indicators are up. And the city actually – we went to beyond 20% in unemployment. Meaning one out of every five of us was out of a job. We bettered that some by a couple of percents now. Something is happening here.
More funding for Cash for Clunkers?
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/04/cash.clunkers.ford.gi.art.jpg caption="With the help of the U.S. government's 'Cash for Clunkers' program, Ford Motor Co. reported an increase of approximately 1.6 percent in U.S. sales for July in comparison to the same month last year."]
The Cash for Clunkers program is getting a lot of credit for a surge in July car sales.
Right now, though, the wildly popular program is running on fumes.
If the Senate doesn't approve another $2 billion in funding this week.
The White House says the program will have to be junked.
We want to know what you think about the Cash for Clunkers program. Do you support more funding of the program? Have you used the program? Will you use it? Tell us your thoughts.
Read more: Which clunkers are being traded?
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