States ponder death penalty as executions hit 14-year low
A rush of executions some expected to follow a Supreme Court decision upholding lethal injection didn't happen. Instead, executions slowed to a trickle, to 37, the lowest number since 1994 and continued a decline since executions peaked at 98 in 1999. Texas, with 18 executions, accounted for nearly half of the death sentences carried out in the country. | 01/05/09 06:58:57 By - Tony Rizzo
More news of shoes, but we don't know who threw these
Thousands of work boots, bath slippers, tennis sneakers and beach sandals -- even roller blades -- inexplicably materialized along the southbound lanes of Miami's Palmetto Expressway on Friday, disrupting traffic for hours. No witnesses have come forward to explain just how the shoes appeared at 7:42 a.m. | 01/02/09 18:10:45 By - Jose Pagliery
Alaskans applying early in record numbers for annual payout
The application period of Alaska's Permanent Fund dividend — the annual payment all Alaska residents receive for, well, being Alaskans — opened at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. By 2 p.m., more than 18,000 people had applied, double last year's rate. There's no obvious benefit to filing early. | 01/02/09 14:27:37 By - Sheila Toomey
Web of business ties entangle Kentucky governor's office
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear's chief of staff is a partner in private business deals with a top lobbyist who represents a long list of clients wanting something from state government. Both insist the relationship presents no conflict of interest, though others disagree. | 01/02/09 13:48:27 By - John Cheves
Kansas legislator says classes on money should be required
It's easier for many adults to talk to children about sex than about money. "The only greater taboo for conversation than sex is money," noted Philip Heckman, Youth Programs director for the Center for Personal Finance, which is affiliated with Credit Union National Association Inc. | 01/02/09 07:19:50 By - Jeannine Koranda
Police turn to MySpace, Facebook for clues in murder
Deamonte Tavaris Brooks, 18, is charged with murder in the Nov. 8 death of Nathan Elmore, 18, during a party at a Durham, N.C., townhouse. Search warrants made public Thursday show that investigators with the Durham Police Department accessed user accounts at MySpace.com and Facebook.com seeking evidence in the case. | 01/02/09 07:10:40 By - Michael Biesecker
No primaries this year, so how can we spend our time?
The past year offered a steady stream of presidential drama that kept us fully entertained practically to the end of the year. So what's the next year hold, after Jan. 20's inauguration. Who knows? But one calendar is already pretty much set — when the big blockbuster movies will be released. So here's what's coming up, through December. Remember, Hillary didn't plan past February. | 01/01/09 18:19:56 By -
From 2008's wreckage, some stories of hope and triumph
Not to minimize the seriousness of the economic recession, but when times are bad — and not just economic times, but when we face the death of loved ones or other losses — it has a way of helping us think about all we have and about what's positive and important in our lives. These stories are reminders of that. | 01/01/09 17:44:39 By - Eric Adler
Learning to swim: For Muslim women in U.S., it's not easy
When fellow Muslim parents asked Salman Sheikh to organize a swim class for girls, he went to the Curran Aquatic Center in Cary, N.C., to see if it could accommodate a group of Muslims who preferred a women-only pool. No problem, leaders of the center said. But the pool could be seen onlookers and blinds on the windows would cost $3,000. Sheikh almost abandoned the idea. | 01/01/09 17:14:37 By - Yonat Shimron
Lipstick on a pit bull: Gov. Palin rises to Levi's defense
In a series of phone calls and e-mail messages on New Year's Eve to news organizations, Gov. Sarah Palin refuted descriptions of her future son-ln-law as a high school dropout, saying he was enrolled in correspondence courses while working as an electrical apprentice on Alaska's North Slope. Her office also broke its silence on the birth of her new grandson. | 01/01/09 06:59:16 By - Kyle Hopkins
California seeks balanced budget with tax boost, school cuts
Aides to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rolled out a new plan for closing California's gaping $40 billion budget deficit today that cobbles together elements of earlier proposals and adds a new tax increase, a shorter school year and a "what if" quest to borrow $4.7 billion. | 12/31/08 19:44:00 By - Steve Wiegand
Champagne sales fizzle for New Year
No matter how eager some may be to kiss 2008 goodbye, consumers aren't as enthusiastic about a traditional New Year's staple — champagne. | 12/31/08 11:25:26 By - Grace Gagliano
In Merced, business owners reach out to fast-growing Latino market
When Javier Fuentes, who works at a local radio station, sold an advertising campaign to Napa Auto Parts, the auto-parts dealer wanted all its ads in Spanish. And that's just one example, said Fuentes, of how businesses are catching on to the large, untapped Latino market. | 12/31/08 07:25:32 By - Jonah Owen Lamb
States' plans for stimulus spending won't transform nation
The second coming of the interstate system it may not be. President-elect Barack Obama is promising an economic stimulus package that could rival what was spent to build the interstates during the Dwight Eisenhower era. Whether Obama’s plan changes transportation the same way is a different matter. | 12/31/08 07:04:14 By - Brad Cooper
U.S. attorney for North Texas stepping down
U.S. Attorney Richard Roper is stepping down as the top federal prosecutor in North Texas to become a senior partner at a Dallas-based law firm, where he will handle white-collar fraud and corporate investigation cases. | 12/31/08 07:00:34 By - Max B. Baker
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