President Obama discusses Wall Street reform

President Obama gave a speech in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon to discuss his plans to reform the financial sector.  According to CNN.com, he is looking to Wall Street for help in order to ensure that taxpayers never have to pay for bailing out big business. 

President Obama stressed that reform is necessary in order to avoid similar financial crisis.  According to Obama a vote for reform is a vote to end tax-payer funded bailouts. 

The president said he hopes to do what is best for both Wall Street and Main Street by eliminating the idea of a bank being too big to fail, along with regulating the risks banks are able to take.  His plan will also make derivatives more transparent, create a consumer financial protection agency, and allow investors to have more say in the amount of compensation of bank company executives. 

The president is expected to seek bipartisan support for a reform bill from congressional leaders when he returns to Washington.

Four Syracuse police officers honored

Four Syracuse police officers were honored today according to Syracuse.com.  The men saved a man from a burning nuilding in Syracuse's North Side last year.

The officers received the 32nd annual Police Life Savers Award at a ceremony during the Syracuse Chapter of National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers.

Detective Sgt. Anthony Rossillo, Sgt. Ivan Jimenez, Officer Donald Patti and Officer Brendan Cope each received a plaque to honor their achievement. 

Clarkson tour drops tobacco sponsorship

Kelly Clarkson's upcoming concert in Indonesia will no longer be sponsered be cigarette company L.A. Lights according to Syracuse.com. 

After protests of the sponsership, Clarkson initially said the it could not be pulled and that she was not willing to cancel on her fans.  However, on Thursday promoter Adrie Subono said that the sponsership has been called off. 

Indonesia is one of the few countires that gives freedom to tobacco companies to advertise, sell, and promote their products.

Clarkson said she was unaware of the sponsorship before the controversy arose and that she does not promote the use of tobacco.