Cheney recuperating from heart surgery
WASHINGTON (AP) Former Vice President Dick Cheney announced Wednesday that he has undergone surgery to install a small pump to help his heart work, as the 69-year-old enters a new phase of what he called increasing congestive heart failure.
The operation went very well and I am now recuperating, Cheney said in a statement released by his office. The surgery took place last week at Inova Fairfax Heart and Vascular Institute in northern Virginia, where Cheney said he is currently receiving care.
A longtime face of the Republican Party, Cheney has dealt with heart problems much of his adult life, suffering five heart attacks since age 37. He said the latest step, the implanting of a pump called a left ventricular assist device, will allow him to resume an active life.
300 firefighters battle fast-growing Idaho blaze
BOISE, Idaho (AP) Gusting overnight winds at a federal laboratory whipped what started as a small southeastern Idaho desert fire Tuesday into a blaze that by Wednesday afternoon covered 170 square miles and had become the biggest wildfire burning in the nation.
About 300 firefighters from the Idaho National Laboratory and the Bureau of Land Management are on scene with 28 fire engines, a helicopter, nine bulldozers, five air tankers and an air-attack plane.
Its a wind-driven range fire and they can gobble up a lot of territory in a very short time, said Don Smurthwaite, a Bureau of Land Management spokesman at the National Interagency Fire Center. Thats whats happening.
The fire has charred power lines, causing a loss of electricity to the laboratorys Materials & Fuels Complex, where research and development of nuclear fuels takes place, officials said.
No out-of-pocket cost for some preventive care
WASHINGTON (AP) From counseling for kids who struggle with their weight, to cancer screenings for their parents, preventive health care will soon be available at no out-of-pocket cost under consumer rules the Obama administration unveiled Wednesday.
That means no copays, deductibles or coinsurance for people whose health insurance plans are covered by the new requirements.
The Obama administration estimates that 41 million Americans will benefit initially, with the number projected to rise to 88 million by 2013. Many large company plans, which usually offer solid preventive benefits, will be exempt from the requirements for the time being.
Better preventive coverage is one of the goals of President Barack Obamas health-care overhaul law, part of a shift to try to catch problems early, before high cholesterol can lead to heart disease.
Roy Rogers stuffed horse goes for $266,000
NEW YORK (AP) Roy Rogers stuffed horse, Trigger, has been sold at auction in New York City for more than $266,000.
Christies says Rogers faithful companion was bought by RFD-TV in Omaha, Neb., at an auction Wednesday of items from the now-closed Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Mo.
The television networks chief financial officer says Rogers reflects the companys values. The station calls itself Rural Americas Most Important Network.
CFO Steve Campione says the company hopes to start its own museum. He says the company is looking to buy more Rogers items at auction.
Rogers had Trigger preserved with taxidermy in 1965. The presale estimate for the horse was $100,000 to $200,000.
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