White House praises stimulus bill impact

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – The White House says a costly spending bill President Barack Obama signed into law five years ago Monday was good for the economy and helped the U.S. avoid another Great Depression.

Republicans are taking a dimmer view, arguing that the $787 billion economic stimulus bill amounted to too much spending for too few results.

The White House says in a new report that the bill, among other things, saved or created an average of 1.6 million jobs a year between 2009 and 2012.

Republican House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio says too many Americans are still asking “Where are the jobs?” the administration promised.

Casino’s websites back up after week

LAS VEGAS – Casino giant Las Vegas Sands Corp. has restored its websites a week after they were hacked.

The Las Vegas-based company pulled down its sites Feb. 13 after hackers defaced them with images condemning comments CEO Sheldon Adelson had made about using nuclear weapons on Iran.

Sands restored the websites Monday afternoon.

Spokesman Ron Reese says the company first became aware of the hacking on Feb. 12, when company email went down.

U.S, crop values drop nearly 10 percent

DES MOINES, Iowa – The value of U.S. crops fell 9.8 percent last year as prices declined for major crops, including corn and soybeans, from 2012’s record high levels, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its annual estimate.

The value of field crops fell 9.8 percent to $166.95 billion in 2013, down from $185.12 billion in 2012, the USDA said in Friday’s report. The value is determined by multiplying the average price for a crop from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31 by the total production.

Corn and soybean harvests declined during the drought of 2012.

Associated Press