Media

WASHINGTON — California lawmakers on Wednesday helped relaunch the latest, long-shot bid to put the House of Representatives on record as recognizing the Armenian genocide.

A perennial effort that always faces stiff political and diplomatic headwinds, the familiar resolution was introduced Wednesday with more than 40 co-sponsors, some of them House freshmen. The intention, though, remains the same as it has been for several decades.

Some of this area's top government leaders gathered recently to discuss the future of the Castle Aviation and Commerce Center.

If you are not aware of the issues in Castle's decades-old redevelopment saga, here are some of the key topics discussed: the current infrastructure, the cost of doing business in the park that businesses must take on, needed demolitions of buildings on the property, the current lack of easy access to Highway 99, and the lack of skilled workers staying in the region.

Given that old adage, "You can't tell where you're going unless you know where you've been," casting a close eye over last year's congressional voting patterns is in order.

Sure, that was an election year for a divided Capitol, while Republicans now run the whole show and their performance isn't subject to formal assessment by the voters until next year. But still, members behaved in the second half of the 113th Congress in ways distinctive enough to create several storylines to watch throughout the 114th.

The formation of a new, bipartisan Congressional Chicken Caucus in the United States House of Representatives has been announced.

The caucus will serve as a formal group of members whose mission is to educate members of Congress and others about the history, contributions and issues of importance to US chicken producers, pertaining to food safety, international trade, labor, animal welfare, immigration and environmental issues, among others.

Chicken industry vital to the economy

MENDOTA, Calif. — In this region that calls itself "The Cantaloupe Center of the World," vast fields that once annually yielded millions of melons lie fallow. And, for some farmers, planting tomatoes and other traditional row crops may now constitute acts of courage.

America's largest agriculture economy is changing because of a lack of water. Amid a prolonged drought and an anticipated third straight year of cutbacks in federal water supplies, the one assured constant is stress.

There's the well-known Tea Party Caucus, the popular Congressional Wine Caucus and, with just seven members, the obscure Potato Caucus.

Don't forget the Motorcycle Caucus, the Senate Diabetes Caucus or the Congressional Cement Caucus.

How about tennis? There's a caucus for that. Soccer? That, too. Shellfish? Yup.

In fact, it seems there's a caucus for just about everything. This Congress, there's more than 250.

With the collapse in global oil prices, members of Congress are once again pushing to raise the federal gasoline tax, with the proceeds going to new roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects. While some in Congress might be averse to a tax increase of any kind, they might find it more palatable if it came packaged with a tax cut.

Fortunately, there is a perfect option, a hidden levy that has benefited a small group of farmers and manufacturers in a handful of states: the corn ethanol tax.