Federal Eye: July 26, 2009 - August 1, 2009

Air Force One Manhattan Flyover Pictures Released

One of the 146 images released by the Air Force of the late April flight taken by Air Force One over Manhattan (Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force) Responding to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by other...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 31, 2009; 4:16 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  Administration  
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Census 2010 Will Start in Remote Alaska

Census workers will start counting Americans in the remote northern regions of Alaska. (Caribous will not be counted.) Census employees will begin next year's constitutionally-mandated headcount roughly 250 miles from Russia in remote regions of Alaska north of the...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 31, 2009; 2:59 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Census  
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Eye Opener: Federal Protective Service Hit Again

Federal Protective Service vehicles parked outside a Virginia federal courthouse in 2006. (AP) Happy Friday! Another government report blasts the agency responsible for security at about 9,000 federal facilities nationwide. This time investigators raise concerns that the Federal Protective...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 31, 2009; 6:45 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Eye Opener, Oversight, Workplace Issues  
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Hundreds of Post Offices Could Soon Close

Hundreds of post offices like the one above could soon close. The Postal Service has marked 677 post offices nationwide for possible closure or consolidation, according to a document given today to a House subcommittee holding a hearing on...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 30, 2009; 2:59 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (26)
Categories:  Agencies and Departments, Congress  
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CDC's Dr. Richard Besser Joins ABC News

CDC Dr. Richard Besser discusses the outbreak of H1N1 flu at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on April 28, 2009. (Photo by AP) In the latest example of a government official leaving public service for television, the CDC's Dr....

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 30, 2009; 10:38 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Revolving Door  
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Same-Sex Benefits Bill Clears First Hurdle

Updated 11:52 a.m. ET A bill granting full health-care benefits to domestic partners of gay and lesbian federal employees cleared its first legislative hurdle today, as a House subcommittee approved the measure along a party-line vote. The House subcommittee on...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 30, 2009; 10:27 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (11)
Categories:  Congress, Workplace Issues  
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Eye Opener: Cabinet Secretaries in Hawaiian Shirts

Sister Pauline, with the Little Sisters of the Poor, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (in purple tie), Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry (far right) appeared together on Tuesday. (Photo by OPM) Happy Thursday!...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 30, 2009; 6:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Eye Opener  
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Agency Bans on Las Vegas, Orlando Visits Kick Up a Storm

Meetings and conferences for federal agencies could continue as normal at or near the Magic Kingdom, Las Vegas and other cities if a new Senate bill passes. (Getty) Have no fear, traveling bureaucrats: In between your off-site meetings packed...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 29, 2009; 2:29 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  Agencies and Departments  
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$100 Million in Savings, Pinch by Pinch

Newspapers are one of many items on the government chopping block (Getty) Remember back in April when President Obama ordered the Cabinet to come up with $100 million in costs savings? And remember when critics blasted the plan as...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 29, 2009; 12:41 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues  
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Eye Opener: More Woes for TVA

An aerial view of homes destroyed when a retention pond wall collapsed at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tenn. (AP) Happy Wednesday! Problems continue for the Tennessee Valley Authority, the federally-backed corporation that provides services...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 29, 2009; 6:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Eye Opener, Oversight  
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Uncertified Guards Protected FDA Headquarters

At least 58 private contract security guards with improper credentials were reassigned from the Food and Drug Administration headquarters in Silver Spring this month after an inspection by the Federal Protective Service, according to two FPS officers familiar with the...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 28, 2009; 6:04 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (21)
Categories:  Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues  
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Postal Service Joins 'High Risk' List

The above chart demonstrates the rapid decline of American mail volume in the past three years (Image courtesy of GAO). Updated 5:16 p.m. The U.S. Postal Service urgently needs restructuring to meet rapidly declining mail volume and must immediately...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 28, 2009; 10:04 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (69)
Categories:  Agencies and Departments, Oversight  
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Eye Opener: Federal Food Drive Ramps Up

OPM Director John Berry, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood participate in a "Feds Feed Families" event today. Happy Tuesday! Top Obama administration officials get in on the volunteer action today when they drop off food...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 28, 2009; 6:10 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Eye Opener, Workplace Issues  
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Obama's CIO Hopes to Unjar Web Cookies

By Cecelia Kang in our political blog, 44: These days, surfing Amazon.com can feel like visiting the corner pharmacist who remembers all your past ailments. The online retailer recalls that you recently bought "Harry Potter," so suggests you read "Twilight."...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 27, 2009; 3:30 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Administration  
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Eye Opener: July 27, 2009

Happy Monday! Send your news tips, comments or questions to The Eye here. Follow The Federal Eye on Twitter. Now to the news: • Cabinet and Staff News: David Axelrod joins a weekend pickup basketball game with other government...

By Ed O'Keefe  | July 27, 2009; 6:30 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Categories:  Eye Opener  
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