Snow shuts down federal government, life goes on
WASHINGTON (AP) -- If snow keeps 230,000 government employees home for the better part of a week, will anyone notice? With at least another foot of snow headed for Washington, Philadelphia and New York, we're about to find out. The federal government in the nation's capital has largely been shut down since Friday afternoon, when a storm began dumping up to 3 feet of snow in some parts of the region. Offices were remaining closed at least through Wednesday....

NY governor says he'll step aside only 'in a box'
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York Gov. David Paterson, defying calls from even fellow Democrats to drop out of the race for a full term, said Tuesday that he would leave only if the voters turned him out through the ballot box, or he's carried out "in a box."...

Anthem asked to justify rate hike in California
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- In his push to move stalled health care reform, President Barack Obama is appealing to American pocketbooks by calling one health insurer's major rate hike in California a harbinger of rising premiums....

LA-area foothills under mudslide threat
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. (AP) -- A new winter storm washed over the wildfire-scarred foothills north of Los Angeles Tuesday, leaving some residents to flee their homes in baggage-laden cars while others used shovels and buckets to try to hold back the muddy deluge....

Teen arrested in killing of LA anti-gang counselor
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- When Ronald "Loony" Barron urged a young graffiti tagger to put away his paint cans, he was doing what he viewed as his mission - steering kids away from crime - but he paid for it with his life....

Target pulls Valentine's toys over lead concerns
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Target Corp. said Tuesday it was pulling its Valentine's Day "Message Bears" from store shelves after California's attorney general raised concerns that the toys have illegal levels of lead....

Kerrigan family disputes autopsy report on father
BOSTON (AP) -- The family of Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan insisted Tuesday that they do "not blame anyone" for her father's death and criticized a medical examiner's finding that Daniel Kerrigan died of a heart rhythm problem after a fight with his son....

NY Senate votes to expel convicted lawmaker
ALBANY, N.Y (AP) -- The New York Senate voted Tuesday night to expel a senator convicted of a misdemeanor charge of assaulting his girlfriend, a resolution the lawmaker assailed as an injustice to the people who elected him....

ATF blames Texas church fires on serial arsonist
TYLER, Texas (AP) -- A spate of recent fires that destroyed or damaged several churches in eastern Texas were intentionally set, likely by the same person or group, federal authorities said Tuesday....

Police debate use of family DNA to ID suspects
DENVER (AP) -- Police in at least two states are increasingly using a DNA crime-solving technique that some legal experts say amounts to guilt by association: If your brother, father, uncle or son has been in trouble with the law and is in a DNA database because of it, you, too, could fall under suspicion....