Alaska rate of birth defects far outpaces national average
Alaska infants are twice as likely to be born with major birth defects as infants in the U.S. as a whole, according to a new study by the state Department of Health and Social Services — and officials are at a loss to explain why. | 07/17/08 07:44:52 By - George Bryson
Poll: gas prices alter habits
In a state long characterized by traffic-clogged freeways and residents' devotion to their cars, surging gas prices are forcing cash-strapped Californians to change their spending and driving habits. | 07/17/08 07:30:47 By - Peter Hecht
Cruel cost of fuel is all-purpose excuse
In Raleigh, designer Jennie Malcolm has a friend whose husband suddenly became interested in his carbon footprint — not something he would normally fret about — once the annual mother-in-law trip to the mountains rolled around. It didn't work, Malcolm said. Everyone knew carbon footprint meant gas prices, and he ended up visiting the in-laws anyhow. | 07/17/08 07:23:38 By - Josh Shaffer
Safety concerns rise as bikes hit the street
With more drivers turning to motorcycles and scooters to save on gas, safety officials predict the trend will come with a different cost. Motorcycle deaths were on the rise long before gas prices passed $4 a gallon and consumers began looking to two-wheelers for fuel efficiency of up to 60 miles per gallon. | 07/17/08 07:18:33 By - Lisa Zagaroli
Navy judge finds charges against Bin Laden's driver constitutional
A Navy judge on Wednesday rejected a bid by Osama bin Laden's driver to have his charges dismissed because, his lawyers claimed, they did not exist as war crimes at the time of his November 2001 capture in Afghanistan. Lawyers for Salim Hamdan, 37, accused of material support for terror and conspiracy, had asked the judge to dismiss his case, invoking the constitutional right against ''ex post facto'' application of law. | 07/16/08 19:11:41 By - Carol Rosenberg
Heath Ledger fans worry 'The Dark Knight' will define him
"The Dark Knight," opening Friday, is likely to make Heath Ledger a bigger star than he ever was in life. The ingredients are there: the iconic role, the tragic death and that most essential component, the touch of genius. But for fans of Ledger, the certain popularity of "The Dark Knight" elicits a fear that The Joker, a soulless villain, might serve as the legacy of an actor whose defining trait was emotional authenticity. | 07/16/08 18:20:18 By - Carla Meyer
One in four California students drops out, report says
A new statewide count of high school dropouts, based on the tracking of individual students, shows significantly higher numbers than have been reported for years in California. The dropout report, released Wednesday by the California Department of Education, estimated that one in four high school students — 24.2 percent — failed to graduate with their classes or move into another educational program to continue their high school education. | 07/16/08 18:00:49 By - Deb Kollars
Anti-gay rights groups block N. Carolina school bullying bill
At issue is the bill's inclusion of a list that includes "sexual orientation" as one of more than a dozen reasons a student might be bullied or harassed. Opponents want the whole list removed. "If 'sexual orientation' is enacted into North Carolina law through HB 1366, it will serve as the basis for affirming deviant sexual behaviors throughout our state statutes," the Family Policy Council said. | 07/16/08 16:39:52 By - Lynn Bonner
Results are in: California's San Joaquin Valley is the worst
Poverty, poor health and plenty of school dropouts have put the San Joaquin Valley's 20th Congressional District dead last in a new national scorecard that ranks the overall well-being of residents. Even notoriously grim Appalachia fares better than the congressional district that sweeps in Fresno, Kings and Kern counties, the study, released Wednesday, shows. | 07/16/08 16:38:46 By - Michael Doyle
Federal government to sell leases at Alaska Petroleum Reserve
The federal government intends to hold a major oil and gas lease sale this fall in portions of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, officials in Washington, D.C., announced today. The Bureau of Land Management, which acts as landlord for the Indiana-sized reserve on Alaska's North Slope, today issued a "record of decision" spelling out land to be leased. Much of the NPR-A has been the subject of environmental challenges in court. | 07/16/08 16:09:13 By - Wesley Loy
Local, state leaders:N.C. banks are fine
On Tuesday, Charlotte-based Wachovia issued a statement that it was “strong and stable,” and the N.C. Bankers Association held a news conference to say the state's banks entered the latest downturn with stockpiles of capital. | 07/16/08 06:57:33 By - Rick Rothacker
As Alaska glaciers shrink, concerns turn to the rivers
For the first time in decades, federal officials allowed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge this summer. It wasn't for oil, though. | 07/16/08 06:51:01 By - Elizabeth Bluemink
James Brown’s life going once, going twice
James Brown’s contribution to music is priceless. But his personal possessions have a price tag. On Thursday, Christie's, the New York auction house, will try to sell more than 300 items owned by Brown, including capes, awards and hair-care products. | 07/16/08 06:39:29 By - Otis R. Taylor
Firefighters making progress in California blazes
Fire containment is advancing in California, even while blazes continue to char the state. Officials say 96 fires are burning, a fraction of the more than 2,000 that have challenged firefighters and resources in the state this spring and summer. A total of 866,184 acres have been burned, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection information updated today. | 07/15/08 19:20:36 By - Niesha Lofing
Bin Laden's driver, testifying at Guantanamo, charges abuse
Salim Hamdan offered an unusual peek inside his American detention, describing a six-year saga of interrogation, isolation and sexual humiliation from Afghanistan to the prison camps here. ''When I felt sick, I'd call an interrogator,'' he told his military commission judge, who will decide if statements Hamdan made under questioning at Guantanamo should be excluded. | 07/15/08 18:53:39 By - Carol Rosenberg
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