5 things you need to know Thursday

Time：[2015-11-16]     Views：1877

Army captain to be awarded Medal of Honor

An Army captain who saved his commander and others while nearly losing his leg during an attack in Afghanistan will receive the Medal of Honor on Thursday from President Obama. Capt. Florent A. "Flo" Groberg, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in France and a former college-level runner who joined the military in 2008, is the 10th living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan.

Transit riders like convenience, prefer reliability

People ride mass transit for the convenience because they don't like driving and to reduce emissions, according
to a national survey out Thursday obtained by USA TODAY. But four in five passengers said they would ride buses,
subways and trains more often if they were more reliable, cleaner and less crowded, says the survey by HNTB Corp., which plans, designs and manages transportation construction projects. The survey comes as House and Senate
lawmakers negotiate a six-year highway and transit bill.

A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line subway train moves along the track in Boston on June 18, 2015. (Photo: Steven Senne, AP)

Men arrested for alleged 'race war' plot due in court

Two of three men arrested for attempting to buy weapons from an undercover agent — which they had hoped
to use to attack black churches and Jewish synagogues — are due in court Thursday. Ronald Beasley Chaney III and Robert Curtis Doyle are charged with conspiracy to possess firearms after having been convicted of a felony. The men tried to buy an automatic weapon, explosives and a pistol with a silencer from three undercover agents posing as illegal firearms dealers, court documents said. A third man, Charles D. Halderman, their associate, is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.

Robert Curtis Doyle, left, Ronald Beasley Chaney and Charles D. Halderman were arrested Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015. Charging documents say the men planned to rob a jewelry store to stockpile weapons, ammunition and
explosives for a "race war." They hoped to use weapons to attack black churches and synagogues. (Photo: Courtesy police via WUSA-TV, Washington)

Worker contributions to health care costs continue to shoot up

Companies' health care costs in 2015 rose at the lowest rate in at least 20 years, a report out Thursday shows, but
workers' share of costs continue to skyrocket. The average health care rate increase for mid-sized and large companies was 3.2% this year, the lowest since the consulting firm Aon started tracking it in 1996. Despite this, the average
amount workers have to contribute toward their health care is up more than 134% over the past decade. Company health benefit plans keep shrinking, a new report finds. (Photo: Zoonar RF, Getty Images)

Walmart announces Black Friday plans

Walmart is kicking doorbusters to the curb this year as part of an effort to ease the holiday shopping experience for its
customers. The retailer on Thursday announced that it will once again open its doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, but it won't be rolling out hourly deals on different items. Instead, it plans to provide nearly all of its deals both online and in stores at once. Online deals will start at 12:01 a.m. PT on Thanksgiving, while all in-store deals will be available once stores open that evening. Looking for other Black Friday deals? Here's what you can expect from Target and Best Buy.

Customers shop during Walmart's Black Friday event at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving night 2014 in Bentonville, Ark. This year Walmart is getting rid of multiple deal events throughout Black Friday weekend in favor of offering all deals at once. (Photo: Gunnar Rathbun, Invision for Walmart)