Social Issues

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**FILE** Some of the more than 500 Texas fifth- and sixth-grade students are shown during a red-ribbon rally against drug use at the Capitol in Austin on Oct. 19, 2000. Celebrating national Drug Prevention Month, the event also honors the memory of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who was murdered by drug dealers in Mexico in 1985. (Associated Press)

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House Speaker John A. Boehner is bringing his chamber's agriculture bill to the floor. House and Senate versions end direct payments to farmers in favor of broader crop insurance programs. (Associated Press)

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A friend whose organization provides medical funds for shelter & foster dogs, forwarded me the bio & picture of this little boy who was needing a home quickly; he had been pulled just in time from an animal shelter by the Pepper Foundation. (Credit: World's Ugliest Dog Competition)

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** FILE ** Job seekers at a recent Los Angeles career fair were less likely than before the recession to find full-time work. Starting Jan. 1, larger employers must provide health care benefits to those who put in at least 30 hours a week. (Associated Press)

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Sen. Marco Rubio, one of eight lawmakers who wrote the 1,075-page bill on immigration reform, calls the legislation “an excellent starting point.” (Associated Press)

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Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper faces a declining approval rating following a legislative session described as the most liberal in state history. Mr. Hickenlooper made a much-criticized decision to grant an indefinite reprieve of execution to death row inmate Nathan Dunlap. (Associated Press)

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Last month, the Atlantic Council awarded Colombian rock musician Juanes with a Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership Award for his work to promote peace and social change through music and culture.

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Last month, the Atlantic Council awarded Colombian rock musician Juanes with a Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership Award for his work to promote peace and social change through music and culture.