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The numbers for October 1, 2014

Tony Wagner Oct 1, 2014

The private sector added 213,000 jobs in September, according to an ADP payroll report out Wednesday morning. That’s just ahead of expectations and a jump from the August report, which was revised down to 202,000 additions. Small businesses lead the way, with 88,000 jobs added to companies with less than 50 employees in September.

The government will release its monthly jobs report at the end of the week. As we wait for those numbers, here’s what we’re watching Wednesday:

24

Wednesday is Chinese National Day, and one human rights group estimates “nearly two dozen” people have been detained in mainland China for their support of the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. The government has been moving quickly to scrub images of the protest from the Internet and tamp down small bursts of solidarity from the mainland, the New York Times reported, and Amnesty International said at least 60 people have been brought in for questioning about their support.

$1.5 billion

California’s drought enters its fourth year Wednesday. An August study from the University of California at Davis estimated $1.5 billion in farm revenue has been lost, along with 17,100 jobs. A new report released this week linked climate change to many heat waves around the world in 2013, the Los Angeles Times reported, but could not draw a clear connection between human activity and the drought.

45 percent

That’s how high fees can get for families sending money to incarcerated loved ones through JPay, a private vendor that handles money transfers for 70 percent of inmates in the U.S. JPay is at the center of an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity exploring the heavy, hidden costs put on inmates and their families. The second half of the series, focusing on no-bid agreements between big banks and corrections departments, will run Thursday.

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