1. NATIONAL PARKS:
Big sequester hit looms for 'gateway communities,' NPS employees -- Salazar
The National Park System, an economic engine that supported 252,000 jobs and pumped $30.1 billion into the U.S. economy in 2011, will be derailed by the deep spending cuts required under sequestration, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said this afternoon. Salazar and Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis warned in a conference call that the approximately 5 percent cut that would hit each park would result in reduced hours at visitor centers; shorter seasons; and closures of campgrounds, trails and recreation areas.