The American Cancer Society's Discovery Shop in Cumberland Square invites you to bargain shop for a cause!  Sunday, February 2nd will be our annual super clearance sale EVERYTHING in the store will be half price.

Mark your calendars and stop in to grab all of the bargains that you can find and be back home long before the big game starts.  We are clearing out the floor to make room for all of the new and beautiful donations that we have recently been receiving.  With the new things that we will be putting out on the floor starting Monday, February 3rdthe bargains will continue long after the game is over. 

The Discovery Shop is an upscale resale shop selling gently used items donated by the community and staffed by over 100 volunteers.  All clothing is cleaned and ironed before it is sold and dry cleaning is donated by Burke's Dry Cleaners.  Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society for cancer research, education, patient services and advocacy.

Donations are accepted anytime the shop is open and a tax receipt is always available.  Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday andFriday from 10 am to 5 pm., Thursday from 10 am to 7 pm., and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Jan. 24, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United Fire Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:UFCS) (the "Company") announced today that its 2013 fourth quarter and year-end earnings results will be released before
the market opens on February 18, 2014. An earnings call will be held at 9:00 a.m. central standard time on that date to allow securities analysts, stockholders and other interested parties the opportunity to hear management discuss the Company's 2013 quarter and year-end results.

TELECONFERENCE: Dial-in information for the call is toll-free 1-877-407-8291 (international 201-689-8345). The event will be archived and available for digital replay through March 4, 2014. The replay access information is toll-free 1-877-660-6853; conference ID no. 13574619.

WEBCAST: A webcast of the teleconference can be accessed at the Company's investor relations page at
http://ir.unitedfiregroup.com/events.cfm. The archived audio webcast will be available until March 4, 2014.

TRANSCRIPT: A transcript of the teleconference will be available on the Company's website soon after the completion of the teleconference. 

ABOUT UNITED FIRE GROUP, INC.: Founded in 1946 as United Fire & Casualty Company, United Fire Group, Inc., through its insurance company subsidiaries, is engaged in the business of writing property and casualty insurance and life insurance, and selling annuities.

Through our subsidiaries, we are licensed as a property and casualty insurer in 43 states, plus the District of Columbia, and we are represented by approximately 1,200 independent agencies. The United Fire pooled group is rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company.

Our subsidiary, United Life Insurance Company, is licensed in 36 states, represented by more than 900 independent life agencies and rated an "A-" (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company.

For more information about United Fire Group, Inc. visit www.unitedfiregroup.com.

CONTACT: Anita Novak, Director of Investor Relations 319-399-5251 or alnovak@unitedfiregroup.com

By Jason Alderman

Moving is already traumatic and expensive enough; the last thing you want to worry about is getting ripped off by your mover. Yet each year, the Better Business Bureau receives thousands of complaints against moving companies, mostly alleging lost or damaged property, not showing up on time, overcharging - or, in extreme cases, stealing or holding customers' possessions hostage while demanding more money than originally agreed upon.

Before you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars and entrust your valuables with strangers, here are a few tips for ensuring a positive moving experience, as well as scams to avoid:

Screen potential movers. All companies that do interstate moves must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (www.protectyourmove.gov). You can use its search engine to screen for complaints, safety information and company contact information by company name or by the state where its primary business office is located.

Moving companies that don't cross state lines aren't governed by federal regulations, but rather, by individual state laws. Go to the State/Local Resources tab at FMCSA's site for links to each state's regulatory resources. Also make sure the company has at least a satisfactory rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Get written estimates. No reputable mover would ever give a firm estimate by phone or Internet, sight-unseen. Always insist on in-home inspections of your household goods and detailed, written estimates from at least three to five moving companies so you can get a sense of true market rates.

Movers need to know how much stuff you have, whether particularly heavy, valuable or awkward pieces need to be moved, if stairs are involved, and many other details that will affect their costs. Beware if an estimate is significantly less: This is a common ruse by unscrupulous companies to bind you to their service, then later hit you up for hidden fees - perhaps even refusing to unload your furnishings until you pay up.

By law, movers must assume liability for the value of property they transport. Ask for proof your mover has insurance and make sure you understand what's covered. Base-line coverage they should provide is called "released-value protection." It's free, but if something is lost or broken, they only have to pay you 60 cents per pound. For an additional fee you can purchase "full-value protection," where the mover must repair, replace or provide cash settlement for damaged items. Also consider third-party moving insurance.

A few additional tips:

• Ask if the moving company will handle the entire move itself or hire subcontractors. Apply the same due diligence to any subcontractors.
• Ask whether crewmembers are employees or temporary hires and ask to see verification of background checks, either way.
• Ask to see the company's "tariff," which outlines the maximum costs and how they're calculated, as well as a list of all items for which you could face additional charges.
• Be suspicious if the mover asks for a large cash deposit or full payment in advance. Also, don't make the final payment until you're sure everything was delivered undamaged.
• Be wary if the company's website has no local address or license and insurance information, they refuse to put everything in writing or they use an unmarked truck rather than a company-owned vehicle.

Interstate movers are required by law to give you a copy of the FMCSA's booklet, "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move." Even if your move is only local, be sure to read it for valuable tips.

Q:        What is Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)?

A:        The Constitution vests authority in Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations.  And the President must take care that the laws are faithfully executed.  As anyone who pays any attention to Washington knows, it's not easy to get 535 lawmakers to agree even on what day of the week it is.  Imagine trying to find consensus for a multilateral trade pact with, say, a dozen Pacific Rim nations or scores of countries from the EU.  Recognizing the United States needs to speak with one voice of authority while negotiating agreements that open markets for U.S. goods, services and investment, the U.S. Congress has in the past approved a legislative tool called Trade Promotion Authority, or TPA.  It's used by Congress to better manage negotiations with potential trading partners.  It works.  When U.S. trade negotiators sit across the table with their counterparts from the European Union or Asia-Pacific economies, TPA gives our potential trade partners more confidence and the United States more credibility that a trade pact won't be fiddled with once it's presented to Congress for approval.  Global trade agreements have stalled since TPA expired in 2007.  Renewing TPA would help steer the U.S. economy back on the right track.  It'd be good for America's long-term prosperity.

Q:        Are you concerned the TPA gives away too much authority to the President?

A:        That's a reasonable question considering the overreach this administration has pursued throughout the last five years.  From the fatal gun-walking program at the Department of Justice to the political targeting at the IRS, the unlawful recess appointments the President has declared, the massive financial bail-outs and the unilateral changes to the Affordable Care Act decreed by the Department of Health and Human Services, the case can be made the Obama administration gets fuzzy on constitutional boundaries to pursue its agenda.  That's why the bipartisan TPA legislation I support requires strict transparency and reporting requirements, including consultations with Congress and beefed up congressional oversight during trade negotiations.  Three primary mandates in the Trade Priorities Act of 2014 include directing the administration to pursue specific goals outlined by Congress; establishing transparency and access to information to Congress and the public before, during and after negotiations; and, giving Congress the final say to approve trade agreements via an up-or-down vote.  These accountability provisions should apply regardless of which party holds the White House or the congressional majority.  In addition, it's always up to Congress in the end to decide whether or not to pass implementing legislation for any trade agreement negotiated.

Q:        How is the proposed TPA good for America?

A:        Renewing TPA is an important policy tool that would help create more opportunities for more Americans to get ahead.  Policymakers need to focus on ways to expand the economic pie so that there's more wealth to go around for everybody.  And the global economic pie offers incredible opportunities for American businesses, investors, farmers and entrepreneurs to grow their business, hire more workers, increase wages, sell more products and achieve more prosperity.  Today the United States is negotiating agreements with 11 Asia-Pacific nations (notably Japan and Vietnam), 28 members of the European Union, 22 additional countries for a trade in services agreement and the 159 members of the World Trade Organization.  Just consider the Trans-Pacific and EU trade pacts would open markets for nearly 1 billion consumers, reaching nearly two-thirds of global GDP.  Approving TPA would put the United States back in the driver's seat on these trade pacts.  The Asia-Pacific countries accounted for 40 percent of total U.S. goods exports in 2012.  That same year, the EU purchased nearly $460 billion in U.S. goods and services.  As Iowa's senior U.S. Senator, I appreciate the feedback that I receive from Iowans on issues that matter most to them.  Trade promotion authority is an issue that resonates strongly with grass roots groups that are opposed or in favor of renewing this measure.  Phones ring off the hook whenever TPA is under consideration on Capitol Hill.  This input strengthens congressional efforts to ensure trade promotion authority is used as intended with the proper checks and balances in place.  That's why TPA does not give the President unilateral authority to approve any negotiated trade pacts.  And yet it does show our trading partners that America means business.

Q:        What are the specific objectives mandated by Congress?

A:        I don't support giving the current or any President a blank slate to negotiate trade pacts.  The bipartisan TPA legislation spells out specific rules that U.S. trade negotiators must follow to qualify for an up-or-down vote once the trade pact reaches Capitol Hill.  These mandated objectives take into account the growing significance of the Internet and the trading of digital goods and services.  The bill would establish protections for intellectual property; strengthen enforceable rules for agricultural trade disputes; eliminate barriers to cross-border investment; establish protections for cross-border data flows; enhance dispute resolution processes; and, update labor and environmental standards.  TPA would help restore America's commitment to economic freedom and free enterprise.  Without it, our strategic interests in the international economy will wither and leave U.S. consumers, workers, job creators, farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, financial service providers, digital entrepreneurs and investors hanging in the wind.  Other countries will reach agreements and increase job-generating export opportunities while we sit on the sidelines.  From a series of Foreign Ambassador Tours I led throughout Iowa starting in 1986, I learned first-hand that economic diplomacy and old-fashioned hospitality foster immeasurable good will and plant seeds of opportunity.  It's time to renew TPA and cultivate opportunities with our trading partners.  It's time to let more U.S. workers find out that jobs in U.S. export industries pay on average 18 percent more.  It's time to embrace the rising tide of economic opportunity for all.