The nation’s rough roads are leading to higher driving costs for American motorists – $400 on average, and $750 for drivers in urban areas, according to a new report released Friday morning.

A third of major U.S. interstates and major highways are in poor or mediocre condition, but it’s a particular problem in urban areas with populations of 250,000 or more, said the report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the road advocacy group TRIP.

“The American people are paying for rough roads multiple times,” said Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle. “Rough roads lead to diminished safety, higher vehicle operating costs, and more expensive road repairs.”

Among the report’s other findings:

In many urban areas nationwide, 30 percent to 60 percent of roads are in poor shape.

Nationwide, 72 percent of federal interstate highways are in good shape, but that could decline quickly because the roads are aging and carrying more traffic.

Frank Moretti, director of policy and research for TRIP, said President Obama’s federal stimulus program to spend billions to upgrade the nation’s highways is a “helpful down payment” but additional investment will be necessary to ensure better roads that are capable of handling higher traffic volumes.

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers and the Pentagon appear poised for what promise to be contentious talks about how to reform the health-care system for veterans – now the fastest-growing component of the defense budget.

One suggestion being debated would require that working-age military retirees contribute more in co-payments and premiums through the armed forces’ Tricare system.

It’s not clear how much more, or whether the measure would even make it through Congress.

But it marks yet another attempt by the Pentagon to deal with rising health costs and the significant hurdles it faces on Capitol Hill, where concern for veterans’ well being runs high.

“Rising health care costs are claiming a larger portion of the defense budget,” said Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “But we must be sure that any changes do not impact the quality and access to health care earned by those who have served our country honorably.”

One of those is Will Heinze, who lives near York, Pa., and was invited along with other retired veterans from Pennsylvania to attend a recent Senate hearing on veterans’ benefits.

“Many of us are on fixed incomes,” he said. “Raising any of these costs will price some of us out.”

The military health care debate will unfold as lawmakers and the Obama administration – via the Pentagon – negotiate military spending over the coming months for the fiscal 2010 budget.

The Pentagon is projected to spend roughly $47 billion on health care in fiscal 2010, out of what’s expected to be a $533 billion defense budget request.

The suger in cookie recipes can often be cut in half without sacrificing taste when you are trying to break the sugar habit.

According to experts, sweet cravings are a potent combination of nostalgia (the memory of fresh-baked cookie as a special treat), habit (always having cake for dessert) – and a chemical attraction, which can be explained by the post-sugar rush you feel due to a spike in blood sugar and the release of feel-good hormones, like serotonin, in your brain.

Plenty of people believe they have an addiction to sugar, so is their craving like that of a drug addict’s? Giving up the stuff can require the same cognitive and behavior-modification skills that people need to stop smoking or drinking.

Woman’s Day advises how to break the habit if you do have a problem. Smart tips include:

• Reading labels. The first five ingredients listed make up the majority of any packaged food. If sugar in any form is there, move on.

• Watching what you drink. Go with juices labeled “100 percent juice” instead of “cocktail” or “punch” and mix your own unsweetened iced tea.

• Picking homemade foods. Homemade foods tend to have less sugar. Take tomato sauce: You might add a dash of sugar to cut the tomatoes’ acidity, but jarred brands are often loaded with sugar.

• Altering recipes. You can almost always cut the sugar by half in cookie or cake recipes without compromising flavor or texture.

• Writing it down. You say you don’t eat dessert, but have you counted the M&Ms from the receptionist’s desk? Keep a food diary for a week, and you’ll uncover all sorts of easy-to-slash sweet stuff.

• Going easy on the fakes. Artificial sweeteners can actually foster a taste for sweets. Cut down on them gradually to kick the habit.

• Out of sight. Kids brought home candy from a party? Toss what they don’t eat so you won’t be tempted.

• Retraining those taste buds. If you must have something sweet to round out a meal, try plain low fat yogurt, a fruit cup packed in fruit juice (not syrup), or a piece of fresh fruit. Over time, if you get reaccustomed to the taste of healthful-but-sweet foods, you’ll feel just as satisfied.

A sugar by any other name

Check your ingredient labels for these sugar sources:

• Brown sugar: White sugar with molasses added.

• Corn syrup: Made from corn starch.

• Dextrose: A naturally occurring from of glucose in fruits and veggies (your body also produces it).

• Fructose: Found in fruits, vegetables and their juices, used in crystalline form as a sweetener.

• High-fructose corn syrup: Highly processed form of sugar made from corn starch and fructose.

• Honey: A natural sweetener; contains fructose and glucose.

• Molasses: Dark syrup made by boiling down sugar from sugar cane.

• Sucrose: Cane sugar (plain white sugar).

• Turbinado: Made by spinning sugar cane extract in a centrifuge or turbine to create large brown crystals.

First printed in the May 5, 2009, issue of Woman’s Day magazine. For videos, recipes and more, visit the Web site at www.womansday.com.

Your kitchen might brim with gadgets – cherry pit remover, anyone? Or, at the other extreme, a can of tomatoes might double as your rolling pin.

Either way, your cupboard doubtless contains a skillet, an incredibly accommodating piece of equipment you can use to cook almost anything.

In “The Best Skillet Recipes” (2009, America’s Test Kitchen, $35), the cooks at America’s Test Kitchen celebrate the skillet’s versatility with more than 250 thoroughly written, exhaustively tested recipes – everything from pasta and pizza to beef and casseroles to stir-fries and curries to eggs, vegetables and sides.

We’ve culled some of the cookbook’s best skillet dinners, recipes that make reliable, one-pan meals a reality for home cooks.

Baked ziti with sausage features canned whole peeled tomatoes for fresh taste and the right mix of water and cream for a smooth, rich sauce. As the ziti cooks in the sauce, not separately in water, it absorbs flavors.

Strata is a classic brunch dish, but it makes a fine supper, too. A simplified skillet strata offers the same cheesy pleasure as the standard specimen but doesn’t need to be prepared hours ahead.

Ramen noodles with beef, shiitakes and spinach takes inspiration from Japanese noodle bowls and upgrades the dorm room staple. First step: Ditch the seasoning packets with their baleful blend of copious sodium and strange ingredients.

With a skillet, you see, almost all things are possible.

Cook’s note: Be sure to use the skillet size the recipe calls for. Size is determined by measuring at the widest point from lip to lip. All recipes from “The Best Skillet Recipes” by the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated.

Baked ziti with sausage

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed

6 medium garlic cloves, minced OR pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt

3 cups water

12 ounces (about 3 3/4 cups) dry ziti or penne

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Ground black pepper

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 475 degrees. Pulse tomatoes with their juice in food processor until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain, about 12 pulses.

In a 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage, breaking apart meat, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in processed tomatoes and one-half teaspoon salt.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes no longer taste raw, about 10 minutes. Be sure to simmer gently or sauce will become too thick.

Stir in water, then add pasta. Cover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat to maintain vigorous simmer, until pasta is tender, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Stir in cream, parmesan and basil; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over top. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese melts and browns, 10 to 15 minutes. Serves 4.

SPINACH AND GOUDA STRATA

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Ground black pepper

4 ounces Gouda cheese, shredded (1 cup)

4 tablespoons (one-half stick) unsalted butter

1 medium onion, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch squares

2 medium garlic cloves, minced OR pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed in microwave, wrapped in towel and squeezed as dry as possible

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 425 degrees. In bowl, whisk eggs, milk, thyme and one-fourth teaspoon pepper together, then stir in cheese and set aside.

Melt butter in 10-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and salt and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.

Add bread and, using rubber spatula, carefully fold bread into onion mixture until evenly coated. Cook bread, folding occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Remove skillet from heat and fold in reserved egg mixture until slightly thickened and well combined with bread. Stir in spinach. Gently press top of strata to help soak up egg mixture.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake until edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of pan, about 12 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4 to 6.

Note: For cheddar and thyme variation, substitute cheddar cheese for Gouda and omit garlic and spinach.

RAMEN WITH BEEF, SHIITAKES AND SPINACH

Cook’s note: Do not substitute other types of noodles. Finished sauce will seem brothy, but liquid will be absorbed quickly by noodles when serving.

1 pound flank steak, partially frozen

8 teaspoons soy sauce, divided

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and sliced thin

3 medium garlic cloves, minced OR pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger

3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

4 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodles, seasoning packets discarded

3 tablespoons dry sherry

2 teaspoons sugar

1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach

Place partially frozen steak on clean, dry work surface. Using sharp chef’s knife, slice steak lengthwise into 2-inch-wide pieces. Next, cut each 2-inch piece across grain into very thin slices.

Pat beef dry with paper towels and toss in bowl with 2 teaspoons soy sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking.

Add beef, break up any clumps and cook without stirring until beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Stir beef and continue to cook until nearly cooked through, 1 minute longer.

Transfer beef to bowl, cover to keep warm and set aside.

Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in broth. Break bricks of ramen into small chunks and add to skillet. Bring to simmer and cook, tossing ramen constantly with tongs to separate, until ramen is just tender but there is still liquid in skillet, about 2 minutes.

Stir in remaining 6 teaspoons (2 tablespoons) soy sauce, sherry and sugar. Stir in spinach, 1 handful at a time, until wilted and sauce is thickened. Return beef and any accumulated juices to skillet and cook until warmed through, about 30 seconds. Serves 4.

Employers can keep experienced personnel while cutting costs

Once, the term furlough conjured an image of a sailor on the town or a model prisoner rewarded with a visit home.

These days, a furlough has taken on a new meaning as an unwelcome, unpaid vacation.

This year, 11 percent of 245 large companies have furloughed workers and another 10 percent have asked for volunteers, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt, a management consultant. Another 6 percent plan to roll out furloughs over the next 12 months.

“In some ways, it’s a good sign,” said Philip Kirschner, president of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. “Employers are retaining the people who know the business, so they will be there when the economy comes back.”

Furlough has its roots in the Dutch word verlof, describing a leave from military service.

Today’s interpretation sprang from the need for businesses and governments to cut costs quickly, while preserving personnel.

Manufacturers have long used furloughs, sending home workers when orders were slow or plants needed to be updated.

“They were written into contracts as to when workers could expect them and how long it would be before they were called back,” said Janice Fine, an assistant professor of labor studies at Rutgers University.

This year, with the country in a stubborn recession, white-collar workers are getting a taste.

“As they see their colleagues get laid off, more employees are willing to take furloughs without complaint,” said Michael Homans, a Cherry Hill, N.J., labor and employment lawyer. “They understand that their employers need to cut costs.”

Gannett Co. Inc. – which publishes 85 daily newspapers, including the Tucson Citizen, more than 850 magazines and other nondailies and has 23 television stations in the U.S. – sliced $20 million from the payroll with one-week furloughs in the first quarter for all employees. Gannett announced a second one-week furlough for the second quarter.

Arizona has included furloughs as a way to help cut costs. The city of Tucson and the University of Arizona also are mandating unpaid leave for employees as a cost-cutting measure.

With the jobless rates skyrocketing across the nation, workers who are missing paychecks might take consolation in keeping their jobs. But that won’t help to pay the bills, said Shawn Ludwig, a staff representative for the Communication Workers of America.

“Everybody understands the economy is tough and we’re in this together,” he said. “But this is about putting bread on the table. It’s about paying for day care.”

Kirschner said keeping people working is good business.

“If it’s at all possible to hold onto the people with experience and expertise, employers should do it,” he said. Furloughs benefit employees who might otherwise be laid off. But they help businesses, too, enabling employers to conserve cash in the short term, without the costs of severance.

“Profits increase when you generate revenue at less cost,” Homans said.

Drawbacks include overtime expenses when employees on the job aren’t able to handle the workload. A company also might not be able to deliver a product in a timely manner.

In theory, furloughs help companies keep the brightest and the best in the fold.

But Homans said there’s always a risk the go-getters will use their time off to go get another job.

“Granted, there aren’t as many places to go,” he said. “But there are still employees who will jump for better pay.”

As furloughs become more common, employees are voicing concerns about workers at the bottom of the pay scale who are hit harder by a missed payday.

Companies that are straightforward in addressing the hardships associated with furloughs will fare better in the long haul, he said.

“Management can forge lasting relationships with employees based on the way they handle these hard times,” he said.

ALBANY, N.Y. – Gov. David A. Paterson said Wednesday he plans to reintroduce legislation to make same-sex marriages legal in New York.

The legislation is expected to mirror a gay-marriage bill introduced in 2007 by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who – with Paterson as his running mate – campaigned in 2006 on a platform that included marriage equality.

“We’ll put a bill out and let the people decide one way or the other,” Paterson said Wednesday on a local radio station.

But even with legislation from Paterson, the state Legislature has not signaled the bill would pass both houses. In 2007, the state Assembly passed Spitzer’s marriage bill, but it stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate and remains that way now under Democratic control.

Paterson has been an outspoken supporter of marriage equality for same-sex couples and has indicated he would sign legislation to make it law. His legislation is expected to be submitted in advance of a major lobbying day in Albany by gay-rights groups on April 28.

The Democratic governor said he hopes the measure makes it to the Senate floor for a vote, even though he said he’s not sure it would pass.

“Why can’t a bill just be on the floor and lose?” he said, adding “if you have the votes later on to pass it, bring it back.”

New York continues to debate same-sex marriages even as Vermont and Iowa legalized it in the past week.

Now with the Senate in Democratic hands, gay rights groups are more optimistic of the bill’s passage this year.

With a program bill from Paterson, “it’s just another level of support that we anticipate and are glad to have,” Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda.

But the Senate still appears a few votes shy from having the 32 votes needed for passage.

A Quinnipiac University poll this week found that given three choices, 41 percent of New Yorkers say gay couples should be allowed to marry legally, while 33 percent say they should be allowed to form civil unions.

New York has been moving toward recognizing gay couples. In 2007, the Civil Service Department began providing health insurance to same-sex couples married out of state who are public employees.

And last May, Paterson signed a directive to recognize gay marriage performed in other states.

Later this year, two cases are expected to be heard by the state Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, in regard to recognizing out-of-state, same-sex marriages. One is a Westchester County case from 2006 in which Executive Andrew Spano began recognizing gay couples legally married in other states.

These shrimp and grits with pepper-smoked jowl bacon prepared by Chris Eley, owner of Goose the Market in Indianapolis. With a growing number of bacon blogs such as <a href="http://IHeartBacon.com">IHeartBacon.com</a> and <a href="http://BaconToday.com">BaconToday.com</a>, fans of the flavorful meat have plenty to talk about.

It inspires big-city chefs, down-home cooks and local food fans alike. It shows up at breakfast, lunch and dinner – even in dessert.

The secret ingredient? Bacon.

“It’s everything you could ask for in a food,” says Christopher Eley, owner of Goose the Market in Indianapolis. “It’s sweet, smoky, salty, rich. It’s so versatile.”

And with a growing number of bacon blogs such as IHeartBacon.com and BaconToday.com, fans of the flavorful meat have plenty to talk about.

A recipe called Bacon Explosion on the Web site BBQAddicts.com, for example, took the Internet by storm.

“It definitely has become more popular,” says Eley. “You can use it in so many ways other than in bacon and eggs. Pork is generally a chef’s favorite because there’s so many things you can do with it.”

While supermarket brands can certainly satisfy, Eley offers a variety of house-made bacon at his meat-focused shop. His signature applewood-smoked bacon has become especially popular.

But what’s so special about the bacon that Eley smokes and cures himself, he says, is that he uses pork from Indiana-raised hogs. His method also makes a difference.

“It’s not so heavily smoked,” says Eley. “It’s balanced between sweetness, saltiness, smokiness and richness.”

What doesn’t go in is important, too, he says. “There’s no water added to it,” Eley says. “We have a six-day drying process. It really helps to concentrate the flavor.”

It’s that rich flavor that makes bacon so popular. A few slices crumbled atop a dish can add a delicious touch. Use the drippings for frying or to add smokiness.

Eley says, “(Bacon) can make a mediocre dish a fantastic dish.”

Pork fat rules

Coconut-bacon bars with poplar-whipped mascarpone

1 pound applewood-smoked bacon, diced in 1/4-inch pieces

2 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 ounces unsalted butter, melted

1 cup oats

3 ounces dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

13 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups coconut flakes, toasted

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted and crushed

20 ounces sweetened condensed milk

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

2 ounces Hickoryworks tulip poplar syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a 13-by-18-inch half sheet pan, bake the bacon until crisp.

Remove bacon from pan and drain grease, keeping a thin layer of drippings in the pan. Reserve the remainder for other use.

In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, oats, brown sugar, vanilla and salt until mixture hangs together.

Press mixture onto sheet pan. Top with bacon, chocolate, coconut and hazelnuts; drizzle with sweetened condensed milk. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes and cut into bars.

Whip together the mascarpone and poplar syrup. Serve bars warm, garnished with whipped mascarpone and additional chopped hazelnuts. Makes a half sheet pan.

Note: Hickoryworks’ tulip poplar syrup can be ordered from the Indiana-based company at hickoryworks.com. Real maple syrup can be substituted.

Shrimp and grits with pepper-smoked jowl bacon

For the grits:

4 cups whole milk

1 cup stone-ground quick grits

1 teaspoon sea salt

black pepper to taste

For the shrimp:

1 pound whole wild-caught American shrimp, peeled, shells and heads reserved

1 onion, peeled and sliced thin

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin

1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon tomato paste

4 cups water

8 ounces pepper-smoked jowl bacon, cut into 1/4-by-1-inch strips

rendered jowl bacon drippings

1 cup white cheddar cheese

8 Brussels sprouts, blanched in salted water for 5 minutes, quartered

1/2 cup dry sherry

1/4 of a lemon, zested

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour

black pepper and sea salt to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and grits. Allow grits to settle and skim off any hulls that rise to the surface. Cook over medium heat 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Lower heat and continue to cook grits until creamy, about 30 minutes. About halfway through, add 1 teaspoon sea salt and the black pepper.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine shrimp peels, heads, onion, garlic, carrot, thyme, bay leaf and tomato paste. Cover with water, heat to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 1 hour.

In a sauté pan, cook bacon with 2 tablespoons water over medium-high heat until water has evaporated and bacon becomes crisp. Remove bacon from pan and cool on paper towel. Pour remaining drippings into grits, leaving a thin layer in the sauté pan. Fold bacon drippings and white cheddar into grits; season, cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in the sauté pan with the remaining bacon drippings, quickly sauté shrimp and Brussels sprouts over medium-high heat. Cook until shrimp is firm, pink and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove shrimp and Brussels sprouts and keep warm.

Deglaze pan with the sherry; reduce until almost evaporated. Strain shrimp stock into the pan, add lemon zest, heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Combine butter and flour, then whisk mixture into sauce. Cook for an additional 3 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Return shrimp, Brussels sprouts and bacon to the sauce and re-warm.

Spoon grits into shallow bowls. Evenly distribute shrimp, bacon and Brussels sprouts between the bowls. Serves 4.

Warm spinach salad with lamb bacon vinaigrette

8 ounces lamb bacon, diced

1 shallot, peeled and sliced thin

3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin

2/3 cup black currant vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup olive oil

sea salt to taste

cracked black pepper, to taste

1 pound baby spinach, washed and stemmed

4 ounces gorgonzola cheese

1 hard-boiled egg yolk, chopped

1/2 cup toasted pecans

1/2 cup black currants

In a medium saucepan, heat the lamb bacon and 2 tablespoons water over medium-high heat. Cook until bacon is rendered and becomes crisp.

Remove bacon, leaving the renderings in the pan. Sauté shallot and garlic until tender, then deglaze pan with the vinegar, half at a time. Scrape bottom of the pan with wooden spoon in between each addition. Reduce heat and add honey and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm. In medium bowl, combine spinach with hot dressing until spinach wilts.

Put on warm salad plates and top with the crisp lamb bacon, gorgonzola, egg yolk, toasted pecans and black currants. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

At Goose the Market in Indianapolis, customers will find a variety of meats. Owner Christopher Eley smokes and cures his own products. Among the products are the market's signature applewood-smoked bacon (clockwise from left), lamb bacon and pepper-smoked jowl bacon.

These coconut-bacon bars are served warm, topped with whipped mascarpone and prepared by Chris Eley, owner of Goose the Market in Indianapolis.

This warm spinach salad with lamb bacon vinegarette was prepared by Chris Eley, owner of Goose the Market in Indianapolis.

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Know your bacon

We have it with our eggs for breakfast; with lettuce and tomato on a sandwich; and in a crust with cream as quiche Lorraine. But just what is bacon? According to James Villas, author of “The Bacon Cookbook” (Wiley, 2007, $35), “the term refers basically to the fatty meat from a pig’s belly, side, back and breast that is cured with salt or other preservatives and/or smoked.”

Villas noted that “one cooked slice of streaky bacon contains between 35 and 40 calories, 100 milligrams of sodium and about 3 grams of fat.” However, he also pointed out that “an average slice has about one-quarter fewer calories than a tablespoon of butter or margarine, roughly half the total fat” and about a third of the cholesterol of butter. A few common varieties he notes:

• Canadian bacon: Oval-shaped cut from pork loin; looks like ham; lean, cured, lightly smoked; called “back bacon” in Canada.

• Country-style bacon: Can refer to any thick-sliced bacon; can also be salty, cured, heavily smoked bacon from the same hogs as country hams.

• Jowl bacon: Typically a Southern variety cut from pork cheek; cured and smoked like regular bacon, but contains more fat.

• Pancetta: Dry-cured pork belly, typically not smoked; often from Italy, but also made in the U.S.; usually rolled and sliced quite thin.

• Streaky bacon: British term for typical American supermarket bacon.

• Salt pork: Mostly fat, with a little lean, from cured pork belly; not smoked; sometimes called “streak o’ lean;” used mostly for flavoring.

WASHINGTON — With a 140-character limit on Twitter posts, you wouldn’t think the long-winded politicians in the nation’s capital would be that interested in this new technology.

Think again.

As the online craze sweeps the country, some 117 members of Congress have jumped on the bandwagon, including 79 Republicans and 38 Democrats.

“I would be shocked if more members don’t start to adopt these new technologies,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who has gotten national attention for twittering everything from going to the White House to doing her laundry and grocery shopping.

“Twitter allows me an opportunity several times a day to make sure I am communicating with the people I work for back home, so they can have a glimpse into some of the policy decisions being made and relate to me as a person,” she said.

Twitter is a social networking site that allows users to micro-blog what they are doing, minute to minute. Updates, called “tweets,” can be filed from a computer or from a mobile device such as a BlackBerry.

McCaskill’s tweeting has attracted quite a following – nearly 18,000, ranking her as the second most followed member of Congress. The most followed lawmaker is Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the recent GOP nominee for president, who has more than 272,000 followers.

“As some of my colleagues may know, I have begun to twitter,” McCain said on the Senate floor earlier this month. “We have been tweeting for the last week with ‘Top Ten Earmarks,’ every day. We could go on for days and days.”

Since McCain was teased during his presidential campaign for not using the computer or e-mail, finding the 72-year-old on Twitter shows how mainstream the technology has become.

But while McCaskill actively encourages a dialogue with the public and responds to questions, and McCain gives followers a view into his day-to-day doings, such as his recent trip to Brussels, Belgium, and reaction to how Arizona’s basketball teams are doing in the NCAA tournament, other lawmakers use Twitter more for talking points and getting the message out.

Nick Schaper, who works in House Minority Leader John Boehner’s office and runs the “GOPLeader” Twitter handle, said that’s one of the great things about Twitter – it’s versatile and can be used in many ways.

“There’s no right or wrong way to do it,” he said of Boehner’s Twitter feed, which includes links to press releases, news stories and columns he’s written. “This is what we have found has … worked for us.”

But as lawmakers glom onto the new technology, there is a learning curve.

Last month, Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., was criticized for compromising the security of a congressional delegation in Iraq by tweeting their location in real time.

“Moved into green zone by helicopter Iraqi flag now over palace. Headed to new US embassy Appears calmer less chaotic than previous here,” he wrote.

Others, including McCaskill and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., were criticized for twittering during President Obama’s speech last month before a joint session of Congress – and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Republican response.

“Jindal is weird,” Blumenauer tweeted. “I can’t believe Jindal. Such a sad contrast with President. Doesn’t even look or sound good, to say nothing about content.”

McCaskill later told followers that she had been scolded by her mother about it.

“OK, OK. Mom’s upset that I was rude at Pres speech re: tweets,” she tweeted. “For the record I tweeted bfor, at very beginning, & after speech. I wanted to listen.”

Some lawmakers, like Rep. Candice Miller say they’ve had enough of Twitter.

The Michigan Republican, who tweeted when Obama was sworn in to office in January that she wasn’t prepared for the cold in her Copper Harbor mittens, said she experimented with the technology but ultimately found it to be too distracting.

She said that hasn’t stopped many of her colleagues from constantly twittering.

“You see them on the House floor. Everything that’s happening, they’re tweeting,” she said. “If it works for them, good luck with it.”

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How to follow lawmakers on Twitter

To check if your lawmaker is on Twitter, go to http://tweetcongress.org and look up your state.

Then, to follow your lawmaker(s) on Twitter, go to www.twitter.com and sign up for a free account.

Log in and click on the “Find People” button on the top of the page. Type in the name of the lawmaker you want to follow or their Twitter handle and click “Search.” When the results come up, click on the lawmaker’s link and then click on “Follow,” which is right under their picture.

Everything they post will show up on your home page.

AIG chairman and chief executive officer Edward Liddy

WASHINGTON – AIG CEO Edward Liddy said Wednesday that the company has asked employees in the financial products division who received bonuses of more than $100,000 to return at least half of the money.

Some employees have already pledged to return all of their bonuses, he said.

“We’ve heard the American people loudly and clearly,” Liddy said.

“We are acutely aware not only that we must be good stewards of the public funds we have received, but that the patience of America’s taxpayers is wearing thin,” Liddy said in testimony to a House subcommittee Wednesday.

As new details emerged about $165 million in bonuses paid by the bailed-out insurance giant, lawmakers and administration officials are seeking ways to recoup the money either by imposing stiff new taxes on the extra pay or requiring the company to return it in exchange for future taxpayer aid.

“We are essentially operating AIG on behalf of the American taxpayer so that we can maximize the amount of money we pay back to the government,” he said. “In order to do that, we have to continue managing our business as a business, taking account of the cold realities of competition for customers, for revenues and for employees. Because of this, and because of certain legal obligations, AIG has recently made a set of compensation payments, some of which I find distasteful.”

Liddy, who was asked by the government in September to take over the failing insurer, said he had now seen the “bad side” of capitalism. “Mistakes were made at AIG on a scale few could have ever imagined possible,” he said. “Those missteps have exacted a very high price, not only for AIG, but for America’s taxpayers, the federal government’s finances and the economy as a whole.”

Liddy said the firm was working to wind down its financial products division, which was at the root of AIG’s problems, but also where the bulk of the bonus recipients work. But stress in financial markets had slowed the firm’s ability to sell the division’s assets, he said.

The value of the division’s derivatives business is now $1.6 trillion, down from $2.7 trillion.

Liddy also said the firm is working to cut its debt to the Federal Reserve, which first stepped in in September with the Treasury Department to boost the insurance giant on the brink of failure.

Also Wednesday, AIG said it may sell its Manhattan headquarters and a nearby office building. AIG spokesman Mark Herr said the company is evaluating the sale of 70 Pine Street and 72 Wall Street.

But the bonuses remain the central focus in the AIG situation. Lawmakers kicking off the hearing assailed the bonuses and pledged to try to get back the money, which was due to employees March 15.

“AIG now stands for arrogance, incompetence and greed,” said Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H.

“The taxpayer knows they are the ultimate sucker who pays for all of the greed that has been going in the marketplace for years and years,” Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., said. Added Rep. David Scott, D-Ga.: “We have got to put a pause button on these bailouts and get to the bottom of this.”

President Obama also weighed in Wednesday, saying he wants Congress to pass legislation giving the government greater regulatory authority over financial institutions like AIG. Standing on the White House lawn as he prepared to go to California, Obama again assailed the company for its business practices and the executive bonuses.

Obama he and members of his economic council have commenced discussions with leading congressional players on legislation that would create another regulatory entity – along the lines of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – to give the government more authority over financial institutions such as AIG.

He also expressed support for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner – who had come under criticism for his handling of the issue by Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. – saying Geithner has “made all the right moves” in a bad situation.

Geithner promised in a letter Tuesday night to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Treasury will recover all the money.

Geithner said if Treasury is unable to force AIG employees to return the money, he will require the company to pay back the bonus money as a condition of receiving an additional $30 billion in taxpayer money promised earlier this month.

In his letter, Geithner acknowledged “considerable outrage” in Congress after a day when angry lawmakers proposed a series of ideas to recoup the money through higher taxes.

“If you don’t return it on your own, we will do it for you,” Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., warned the employees who received bonuses.

The level of hostility rose after New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo reported Tuesday in a letter to Congress that 73 individuals at AIG received bonuses of $1 million or more Friday, including 11 who have left the company. AIG has described the bonuses as “retention payments” to keep good workers.

“Eleven of them left the company; they took the money and ran,” said Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y. “So much for the retention part of retention bonuses.”

Republican lawmakers including Shelby questioned why President Obama and Geithner did not take action to stop the bonuses earlier. Shelby told CBS’ Early Show it was another example of Geithner being “out of the loop.” Shelby asked, “Where was Treasury before this money was paid out?”

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded that Obama had “complete confidence” in Geithner.

———

BY THE NUMBERS

• Top recipient received more than $6.4 million

• Top seven bonus recipients each received more than $4 million

• Top 10 bonus recipients received a combined $42 million

• 22 individuals received bonuses of $2 million or more, and combined, they received more than $72 million

• 73 individuals received bonuses of $1 million or more

• 11 individuals who received $1 million or more are no longer working at AIG, including one who received $4.6 million

Source: New York Office of Attorney General

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If 5-year-old Eowyn Pate had been born one year earlier, she likely wouldn’t be alive today.

That’s because New York state began screening for her rare genetic disorder in 2002. Before that, the little girl’s inability to break down stored fat for energy probably would have caused her to have seizures, slip into a coma and die before anyone knew what was wrong.

Instead, like all babies, Eowyn’s heel was pricked a day or two after she was born at Highland Hospital, five drops of blood were collected and the samples were sent to the state laboratory in Albany.

A couple of days later, the lab alerted Eowyn’s pediatrician that the baby tested positive for medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, known as MCADD. That discovery, confirmed by diagnostic testing, provided a scary reason why Eowyn was sleeping so much. Supplemental feedings prevented a crisis.

“We’re just grateful we did find out when we did,” says her mother, Ondrea Pate.

But a baby born today with the same disorder in Pennsylvania isn’t required to be screened for it, nor for certain other conditions that lack symptoms until they cause disabling or fatal damage.

A federal advisory committee in 2004 recommended which disorders newborns should be screened for, selecting those that can be treated if caught early, but states have the final say. Before that, most states required tests for just six disorders. Since then, states have expanded their lists, but still they don’t all agree.

“We’re moving more toward equality across the country, and equal access,” says Brad Therrell, director of the federally funded National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center.

For some disorders, “every day matters,” says Dr. Michele Caggana, director of newborn screening in New York state.

The treatment for MCADD is to avoid fasting. Eowyn – named for a character in “The Lord of the Rings” – must eat every four hours. Her parents also feed her through a stomach tube daily at 3 a.m., while she sleeps. She’s otherwise a typical kindergartner at Albion Central School District who likes to swim, jump on a trampoline, dance, watch TV and play video games.

All states now require testing for MCADD except Pennsylvania, which adds it and 21 other conditions to the rules July 1.

Among the advocates for universal newborn screening are former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and his family. Kelly’s son, Hunter, was diagnosed at 4 months with Krabbe disease, a degenerative disorder that killed him in 2005 at age 8. Infantile Krabbe disease is typically fatal before age 2, but prognosis may be significantly better if children receive umbilical cord blood stem cells or bone marrow transplantation early.

The family’s Hunter’s Hope foundation, based in Erie County – the birthplace of newborn screening in 1962 – funds treatment and research and pushed New York to test for the leukodystrophy. In 2006, New York became the only state to test for Krabbe disease.

In 2008, Hunter’s Hope began lobbying for universal screening – meaning that all newborns in all states would be screened for all disorders for which early detection and treatment can improve babies’ lives.

“Thousands of children die each year because they’re born in the wrong state,” says Jacque Waggoner, Hunter’s grandmother and chief executive of the foundation.

If all recommended disorders had been screened nationwide in 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates based on results from four states, then the number of infants identified with disorders may have been 6,439 instead of 4,370 – meaning an estimated 2,069 children were missed. The obstacles to screening expansion include cost, equipment, sufficient staff and the local or regional expertise to provide follow-up diagnosis and management, according to the CDC report.

New York is among the few states that don’t charge families for screening, which cost the state $11.9 million this year. Some states charge more than $100 per newborn.

Screening definitely saves lives, but more screening isn’t necessarily better, cautions Dr. Georgianne Arnold, a pediatric geneticist at Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong. For some disorders, preventive treatment has thus far been disappointing in improving the health of screened babies. For some other disorders, experts disagree on the significance of the disorder, the accuracy of the screening test or the benefit of treatment.

Screened disorders that can be found in newborns are rare across the population, but the cumulative total is significant. Screening for 45 conditions in New York state led to 678 confirmed cases in 2007, which was nearly 0.3 percent of babies born, or one in 300 births, says Caggana.

“It’s never rare when it’s your baby,” Caggana says.

ARIZONA SCREENINGS

Arizona newborns are screened for 28 disorders, plus hearing loss.

Most commonly, a nurse takes a few drops of blood from a baby’s heel on the first day of life.

The hospital sends the sample to the newborn screening lab. If the results are unusual, the baby’s doctor is notified immediately and the doctor may request additional testing.

The Arizona screening panel includes:

• 6 amino acid disorders

• 5 fatty acid oxidation disorders

• 9 organic acid disorders

• Biotinidase deficiency

• Classic galactosemia

• Congenital hypothyroidism

• Congenital adrenal hyperplasia

• 3 hemoglobin diseases

• Cystic fibrosis

• Hearing loss

The screening panel follows the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Laura Oxley of the Arizona Department of Health Services, which oversees screening. According to Hunter’s Hope foundation, Arizona is the bottom three for for the number of disorders tested. The highest, Minnesota, tests for 54 disorders

Hospitals bill insurance providers for the cost of testing. For other tests, parents must make arrangements privately.

Between January and October 2008, 92 Arizona babies were identified to have 14 different serious, treatable medical conditions, according to DHS. The most common disorder was primary congenital hypothyroidism, with 43 cases found in that time period.

All 92 babies were helped to get the treatments needed, according to DHS.

By Gabrielle Fimbres, Gannett News Service

Kids aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables, and when they do consume produce, they are more likely to eat french fries than nutrient-rich dark green or orange vegetables, a study shows.

That won’t surprise parents who have been trying to tempt their kids with better diets for years.

Researchers at Ohio State University analyzed government data on 6,500 children and teens, ages 2-18, and found that the children were consuming an average of 2 cups of fruits, vegetables and juice a day. Teens ate only slightly more than that.

The government nutritional guidelines base recommended produce intake on total calories consumed. The range is 2 to 6 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables each day, based on an intake of 1,000 to 3,200 calories a day. Someone consuming 2,000 calories a day should eat 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables a day.

Other findings reported in the March Journal of the American Dietetic Association:

• French fries are the most common type of vegetable children eat. Fries account for about one-quarter of children’s vegetable intake.

• Juice makes up about 40 percent of kids’ fruit intake.

• Fruit and vegetable consumption is greater in families with higher incomes. Earlier research has shown that this is because fresh produce can be expensive, and there often aren’t stores that sell it in low-income neighborhoods.

If french fries and fruit juice had not been included in the survey data, then children would be eating far fewer fruits and vegetables than they should, says Hugo Melgar-Quinonez, an assistant professor in the department of human nutrition at Ohio State.

Parents have to get their children to go greener by eating more deep-green leafy vegetables, he says. His advice: Always include vegetables and fruits in children’s meals, even if it means putting baby carrots and broccoli or a sliced apple on the table with the meal: “Just a little effort makes a big difference in kids’ diets and therefore their health.”

Barbara Lorson, a registered dietitian at Ohio State, recommends offering vegetables when the children are especially hungry, such as after school.

The Internal Revenue Service has released new withholding tables that will result in more take-home pay this spring for millions of American workers.

The updated tables are now posted at the Web site www.IRS.gov. They incorporate the new Making Work Pay credit, one of the tax provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that became law in February.

For most taxpayers, the additional credit will automatically start showing up in their paychecks this spring, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said.

“Since employers and payroll companies will handle this change, people typically won’t need to take any additional action. The IRS will continue working to implement this and other provisions of the new law as quickly as possible,” Shulman said in making the announcement.

The revised tables, along with other instructions related to the new tax law, are included in the revised IRS Publication 15-T, which was reissued Monday. This publication is posted at www.IRS.gov and will be mailed to more than 9 million employers in mid-March. The IRS asks that employers start using the new tables as soon as possible, but not later than April 1.

Most workers will see a net pay increase from the credit. They do not have to fill out a new W-4 withholding form to get the Making Work Pay credit reflected in their pay.

Individuals and couples with multiple jobs may want to submit revised W-4 forms to ensure they are having enough tax withheld to cover their tax liability for combined incomes. IRS Publication 919 covers the details on tax withholding.

Available for tax years 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay credit is 6.2 percent of a taxpayer’s earned income with a maximum credit of $800 for a married couple filing a joint return and $400 for other taxpayers.

The IRS said most workers will qualify for the maximum credit. Because it is refundable, people can get it even if they owe no tax, most low-income workers will also qualify for the full credit.

Higher income taxpayers will see little or no change. The Making Work Pay credit is phased out for a married couple filing a joint return whose modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is between $150,000 and $190,000 and other taxpayers whose modified AGI is between $75,000 and $95,000.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway reported its worst-ever year, posting a 62 percent decline in net income, showing how the global financial crisis is pressuring even the world’s most experienced investors.

Hurt by big losses in Berkshire’s stock portfolio as well as bets on derivatives, the company’s net earnings for the year fell to $5 billion, which eroded the company’s book value.

Book value, the difference between assets and liabilities and the way Buffett prefers to track the company’s performance, dropped 9.6 percent. Not only was that Berkshire’s largest book value drop in history, it was also only the second time in the company’s history going back to 1965 that it fell.

Buffett, commonly known as the Oracle of Omaha, leads Berkshire, a diversified company that sells everything from insurance to candy.

Berkshire’s annual letter to shareholders reflected a difficult year caused by a slowing economy and falling investment prices. The Dow Jones industrial average last month fell to its lowest level since 1997 and lost 11.7 percent in February, its worst February since 1933.

Berkshire shares have not escaped, falling 31.8 percent in 2008 and losing another 18.6 percent of their value in 2009 this year to close Friday at $78,600 a share.

“It was a sober report, but it has to be in times like these,” says Andy Kilpatrick, author of “Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett”.

A few of the letter’s key points:

• Expectation for the U.S. economy to remain weak in 2009. Buffett says the economy is likely to “be in shambles throughout 2009.” That doesn’t indicate whether the stock market will rise or fall, he writes.

• Coming strain on local governments. “Mind-boggling requests” from cities and states for federal assistance are coming, he says. Such actions may have “unwelcome aftereffects,” including the possibility of an onslaught of inflation.

• Clarity of the company’s derivative contracts. Buffett explained why Berkshire Hathaway owns derivative contracts, despite his warnings of the dangers. The explanation shows Buffett is managing the risk, says Robert Hagstrom of Legg Mason.

• Admission of mistakes. Buffett purchased a large amount of ConocoPhillips stock when oil prices were peaking last year. The move cost Berkshire investors billions. “So far I have been dead wrong,” Buffett says.

There were bright spots and optimism: Berkshire’s insurance and utility businesses performed well. “America’s best days lie ahead,” Buffett writes.

Vice President Joe Biden watches as President Barack Obama addresses a joint session of Congress Tuesday.<a href="http://10.4.149.24/archives/apphoto/search/?search%5Bform%5D%5Bfulltext%5D=Ron+Edmonds+within+BYLINE"/>

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama’s balancing act has begun.

Pivoting between grim messenger and optimist in chief, the president told Congress and the nation Tuesday night that a “day of reckoning” had arrived, but promised that the “United States will emerge stronger than before.”

Obama opened his first prime-time address with a hopefulness that Americans have sought amid the angst and anger over rising unemployment, falling home prices, and the unprecedented federal bailouts of banks, automakers and homeowners that Obama says are necessary to deal with the problems.

“While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before,” Obama said in an address to a joint session of Congress.

Critics have claimed Obama has added to a spiral of uncertainty by talking down the economy to push his massive $787 billion “stimulus” package through Congress and to pave the way for more spending and bailouts down the road.

Tuesday night, Obama again did not raise expectations for a quick recovery. Indeed, he said that if the government can’t solve the credit crisis hindering lending, “our recovery will be choked off before it even begins.”

But much of his address focused on longer-term goals beyond the immediate economic troubles facing the nation.

Obama emphasized the need for investments in developing alternative energy, fixing the country’s costly and incomplete health care system, and helping children get the higher education they need to compete for future jobs.

Obama said his first budget, which he will release Thursday, will include a blueprint for health care reform and a long-term assault on the federal deficit.

While continuing his plea for bipartisanship, Obama offered his view of how the economy had unraveled, implicating a host of players and policies, including the Bush tax cuts.

“We have lived through an era where, too often, short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity, where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter or the next election,” he said.

“A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from bank and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway.”

Left out of Obama’s finger-pointing were congressional Democrats, whom critics say encouraged lax lending policies that led to the bad loans the president decried.

Obama only briefly and broadly got into foreign policy. He promised to outline a “way forward” in Iraq, mentioned terrorism only once, and never brought up Iran and North Korea, whose nuclear ambitions were a frequent target of his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Obama entered the House chambers in the Capitol more popular than some aspects of his plan.

His job-approval rating was 62 percent in a new USA Today-Gallup poll.

More than eight in 10 poll respondents favored government spending that would create jobs and two-thirds favored federal aid to states in fiscal trouble. Both are central to thestimulus plan Obama signed into law last week, and which passed with the support of only three Republican senators and no Republican House members.

Other aspects of Obama’s plans are not so popular. Only about four in 10 surveyed by USA Today/Gallup favored giving aid to troubled automakers and banks, and majorities also worried about the ballooning federal debt.

While a majority supported Obama’s plan to use federal dollars to help some homeowners pay their mortgage, a majority also called the plan “unfair.”

And Republicans are not softening their opposition.

Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, in remarks released before he gave the GOP response, said the stimulus bill “will grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt.

“Who among us would ask our children for a loan so we could spend the money we do not have, on things we do not need?” he asked. “That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did.”

Talk radio’s Rush Limbaugh railed against those who compared Obama’s communications skills with Ronald Reagan’s, and said Obama was feeding into “despair” and “chaos” so he could move the United States toward socialism.

“Obama is not Reaganesque,” Limbaugh said on his national radio show hours before Obama spoke. “He is Big Brotheresque.”

——

Contact GNS Political Writer Chuck Raasch at craasch(AT)gns.gannett.com

AP-NY-02-24-09 2139EST

WASHINGTON — The number of illegal immigrants in the USA fell for the first time in at least four years, as the nation’s tough economy discourages people from sneaking into the USA, the Homeland Security Department said Monday.

The decline still left the country with 11.6 million illegal residents in January 2008, down from a record 11.8 million a year earlier, according to a Homeland Security report. There were about 4 million illegal residents in 1990, according to federal agencies and researchers.

Homeland Security spokesman Mike Keegan said rising unemployment led to fewer people trying to sneak across the border. Keegan also said the department is doing a better job stopping people from entering the country illegally and apprehending illegal residents in the USA.

The Center for Immigration Studies said the latest figures show that tough enforcement is working. “We should keep it up because nothing has been solved when there are still 11 million illegal aliens,” said the center’s executive director, Mark Krikorian. The group supports enforcing immigration laws to reduce the number of illegal residents.

The department estimates the number of illegal residents by subtracting the number of foreign-born people who are in the USA legally from the Census estimate of the total foreign-born population.

Homeland Security figures go back to 2000, when there were 8.5 million illegal immigrants. It did not keep figures for the years 2001 through 2004; in 2005, the number rose to 10.5 million. The numbers increased in 2006 and 2007 before declining last year, the report says.

Jeffrey Passel, a demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center, said economic factors have historically caused surges and drops in illegal immigration. “Enforcement plays some role,” Passel said, but added that the number of illegal immigrants roughly doubled in the 1990s “in the fact of steadily ramped up enforcement over that period.”

Growth in illegal immigration since 2000 has been driven largely by Mexicans, who now account for 61 percent of illegal residents, the Homeland Security report says.

Nevada’s 280,000 illegal immigrants account for 11 percent of its population, the highest proportion of any state, according to Census figures and the report. In Arizona, 9 percent of residents are illegal migrants.