MOTORCYCLE CRASHES IN AREA UP:

The Ohio Highway Patrol's Marietta post has investigated more motorcycle crashes so far in 2009 in Washington and Morgan counties than it did in all of 2008.

To date, there have been 19 crashes, all involving injuries, according to statistics provided by the post. The lone fatality this year came July 2, when Richard E. Haines, 53, of Stockport, struck a dog while riding on Ohio 37 in Morgan County.

In 2008, just 13 crashes were investigated, 11 of them with injury and three of those fatal.

For more on this topic, see Friday's edition of The Marietta Times.

NEW UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS DROP, BUT FIGURES CLOUDED:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of newly laid-off Americans signing up for unemployment benefits last week, and those using this safety net over a longer period, both plunged. But the government figures released Thursday were clouded by difficulties adjusting for temporary shutdowns at auto plants.

Even if the recession ends this year as the Federal Reserve and many private economists expect, companies are expected to keep trimming payrolls. The unemployment rate will climb because companies won't be in any mood to hire until they feel certain a recovery is firmly rooted.

The Labor Department said new applications for unemployment insurance dropped by a seasonally adjusted 47,000 to 522,000, the lowest level since early January. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters expected claims to rise to around 575,000.

A department analyst said the drop in new claims didn't point to improvements in economic conditions. The second straight weekly decline reflected problems adjusting layoffs for temporary shutdowns at General Motors and Chrysler plants to retool for new models.

Weekly claims remain far above the roughly 325,000 that analysts say is consistent with a healthy economy. New claims last fell below 300,000 in early 2007. The lowest level this year was 488,000 for the week ended Jan. 3.

AMA ENDORSES DEMOCRATS' HEALTH CARE PLAN:

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Democrats are picking up a big endorsement for their health care bill from the American Medical Association.

The executive vice president of the doctors' group, Michael Maves, said the bill meets the AMA's goals of expanding coverage while providing patients with a choice of health plans.

Maves said in a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee that the AMA appreciates the bill and supports its passage. He said the bill protects doctors while making sure that patients with existing illnesses aren't denied coverage.

Three House committees are working to produce a bill that the full House can pass before lawmakers go on vacation in August. House Republicans have vowed to fight the bill.