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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Bypassing Congress part of Obama plan

From wire reports

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will work with Congress where he can and circumvent lawmakers where he must, his top advisers warned Sunday in previewing Tuesday’s State of the Union speech.

Obama faces a politically divided Congress on Tuesday and will use his annual address to demand expanded economic opportunity. Absent legislative action, the White House is telling lawmakers that the president is ready to take unilateral action to close the gap between rich and poor Americans.

“I think the way we have to think about this year is we have a divided government,” said Dan Pfeiffer, a longtime Obama adviser. “The Republican Congress is not going to rubber-stamp the president’s agenda. The president is not going to sign the Republican Congress’ agenda.”

So the White House is eyeing compromise on some priorities, Obama advisers said. But the president is also looking at executive orders that can be enacted without Congress’ approval.

“The president sees this as a year of action to work with Congress where he can and to bypass Congress where necessary,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

The act-or-else posture bristled Republicans.

“The president has sort of hung out on the left and tried to get what he wants through the bureaucracy as opposed to moving to the political center,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the GOP Senate leader.

Added Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.: “It sounds vaguely like a threat, and I think it also has a certain amount of arrogance.”

Two firefighters killed in line of duty

TOLEDO, Ohio – Two firefighters battling a blaze at an apartment complex near downtown Toledo were killed on Sunday, city officials said.

Firefighters Stephen Machcinski, 42, and James Dickman, 31, were killed while fighting the fire in the six-unit building, Toledo Fire Department Chief Luis Santiago said at a news conference Sunday night.

He said Machcinski was a 16-year veteran of the force, while Dickman had been on the job for only six months. Both worked at the same firehouse in the city.

Santiago said the fire department will fully investigate the blaze, which was reported around 3:30 p.m.

Dr. Maneesha Pandey, a deputy coroner for Lucas County, told the Toledo Blade that autopsies are scheduled for today.

Ray Abou, the building’s owner, said there were seven tenants in six apartments in the building and all are believed to be OK. One tenant told him that her pit bull puppy wasn’t able to escape the fire.

The firefighters were attacking the blaze when they became disoriented, a battalion chief told WTOL-TV.

First-class postage stamp now 49 cents

WASHINGTON – It’s going to cost you a few pennies more to mail a letter.

The cost of a first-class postage stamp is now 49 cents – 3 cents more than before.

Regulators approved the price hike in December, and it went into effect on Sunday.

Many people won’t feel the increase right away: Forever stamps are good for first-class postage at whatever the future rate.

The last increase for stamps was a year ago, when the cost of sending a letter rose by a penny to 46 cents.

The Postal Service lost $5 billion last year and has been trying to get Congress to let it end Saturday delivery and reduce payments on retiree health benefits.

Average for gallon of regular gas at $3.31

CAMARILLO, Calif. – The average U.S. price of gasoline has dipped 3.5 cents a gallon in the past two weeks and prices in California have fallen nearly 8 cents in the same time period.

According to the Lundberg Survey released Sunday, the average nationwide for a gallon of regular is now $3.31. Midgrade averages $3.50 and premium is $3.65.

Of cities surveyed in the Lower 48 states, the lowest price, $2.94, was in Billings.

San Diego had the highest price at $3.60.

In California, prices for a gallon of regular dropped nearly 8 cents to $3.54.

The lowest price, $3.34, was in Sacramento.