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HEALTH CARE COVERAGE
EMPLOYMENT
More health care
Plenty of jobs for Texans
Solons mull alternatives to Medicaid expansion By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — State lawmakers spent hours Thursday discussing ways to better provide low-income residents with health care since Texas
has rejected the expansion of Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act, but the hearing ultimately generated more questions than answers. Texas is looking for market-based alternatives to expanding Medicaid under the
law, including negotiating with the federal government to provide Medicaid block grants and waivers. But Sen. Charles Schwertner, RGeorgetown, opened a Health and Human Services Committee hearing by saying he
didn’t see much hope of reaching an agreement and instead offered to “start a conversation” on different approaches. Texas leads the nation in
Jobless rate has remained steady for third month ASSOCIATED PRESS
See HEALTH PAGE 11A
UNITED WAY OF LAREDO
ANOTHER UW CAMPAIGN
Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times
Boys and Girls Club of Zapata, an agency of United Way of Laredo, board members Mark Alvarenga, left and Eloy Lopez, right, both IBC Zapata Bank employees, pose Friday morning with current United Way of Laredo President Miguel Conchas and incoming president Gracie Medina following a press conference in Laredo to announce the first United Way of Laredo Restaurant Week. Zapata County residents will be able to participate in the fund raising event Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. where 20 percent of all proceeds will be donated to United Way.
AUSTIN — The Texas unemployment rate remained at 5.1 percent in July, holding steady for the third month in a row, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday. Nationwide unemployment in July rose slightly to 6.2 percent, compared to 6.1 percent in June, officials said. Employment growth in July across Texas included 46,600 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs, according to the TWC. “Texas employers continue to propel the Texas economy’s expansion by adding 396,200 jobs over the last year, a 3.5 percent annual growth rate,” said Andres Alcantar, TWC chairman. “The Texas economic engine is strong, with every major industry posting positive annual growth in July.” However, the lower Rio Grande Valley’s Brownsville-Harlingen area had the highest statewide unemployment at 9.9 percent, according to TWC figures. The Midland area had the lowest unemployment rate in Texas last month at 2.9 percent. The July jobless rate for neighboring Odessa was 3.6 percent. All major industries expanded during July, a sign of the fast-growing Texas economy, a commission statement said. “Every major industry in Texas added jobs, meaning the diversity of our workforce is strong with opportunities to hire good workers, and for workers to find jobs enabling them to meet the needs of their families,” said Gov. Rick Perry. Professional and business services led the way by adding 10,600 jobs in July. “The professional and business services industry is thriving, with opportunities that range from legal advice and representation to security guards to landscaping,” said Commissioner Ronny Congleton. “Industries across the board are hiring.” Private employers added 42,400 jobs in July, said Commissioner Hope Andrade. “Mining and logging posted an annual growth rate of 7.8 percent in July, which marked the 51st consecutive month of positive annual growth and underscored the industry’s role in the state’s overall economic success,” Andrade said.
WORLD’S ECONOMY
Turmoil has not yet affected US’s economy By JOSH BOAK AND BERNARD CONDON ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Europe appears on the brink of another recession. Islamic militants have seized Iraqi territory. Russian troops have massed on the Ukraine border, and the resulting sanctions are disrupting trade. An Ebola outbreak in Africa and Israel’s
war in Gaza are contributing to the gloom. It’s been a grim summer in much of the world. Yet investors in the United States have largely shrugged it off — so far at least. A big reason is that five years after the Great Recession officially ended, the U.S. economy is showing a strength and durability that other major nations can on-
ly envy. Thanks in part to the Federal Reserve’s ultralow interest rates, employers have ramped up hiring, factories have boosted production and businesses have been making money. All of this has cushioned the U.S. economy from the economic damage abroad. And investors have responded by keeping U.S. stocks near all-time highs. Not even reports Friday of
a Ukrainian attack on Russian military vehicles unnerved investors for long, with blue chip stocks regaining nearly all their midday losses by the close. “We’re in a much better place psychologically,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “And it’s allowing us to weather the geopolitical threats much more gracefully.”
Still, the global turmoil comes at a delicate time. China, the world’s second-biggest economy, is struggling to contain the fallout from a runaway lending and investment boom that’s powered its growth since before the 2008 financial crisis. The economies of Japan and Germany, the world’s thirdand fourth-largest, shrank in the spring. So did Italy’s.
It might not take much — an oil-price spike, a prolonged recession in Europe, a plunge in business or consumer confidence — to derail the global economy. Here’s a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S economy and others, and why the calm in markets may or may not last:
See ECONOMY
PAGE 11A