News on the Go: October 30, 2013

Carrie Blazina

As the government website to buy health-insurance plans continues to troubleshoot, the administration faced new woes Tuesday as cancellation notices suddenly hit small businesses and individuals who buy their own insurance. The administration is not responsible — many companies say they opted to cancel and reissue coverage rather than change existing plans to comply with the many requirements of the new law. President Barack Obama had originally promised while pushing the health care overhaul that if people liked their plans, they could keep them.

Full story at KentWired.com

The United States’ national intelligence director said Tuesday that allies spy on the U.S. as much as the U.S. spies on its allies. The director said it has been commonplace for many years to keep tabs in some manner on what foreign leaders are doing, even though many people continued to criticize the U.S.’ monitoring of foreign leaders’ phone calls. The White House said Tuesday that Obama has ordered a full review of U.S. surveillance programs and was considering changes.

On the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, many people in New York and New Jersey opted to mark the occasion by volunteering with rebuilding efforts, which continue to repair costal areas in both states. Other residents attended marches or vigils for any of the 182 people in the U.S. who died in the storm. The storm cost an estimated $65 billion in damage, and there still are people in rural areas who have not had their electricity restored.

Full story at KentWired.com

The Akron minor-league baseball team changed its name Tuesday from Aeros, to RubberDucks. Owner Ken Babby said the team’s new name and logo are designed to honor Akron’s rubber-industry history and create a new identity for the team. The Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians had been known as the Aeros for 17 seasons.

Contact Carrie Blazina at [email protected].