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....

Anthem asked to justify rate hike in California
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- For the second time this week, President Barack Obama has pointed to one health insurer's major rate hike in California as a doomy harbinger of rising premiums across America....

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....

LA-area foothills under mudslide threat
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. (AP) -- Homeowners in mud-ravaged foothill towns north of Los Angeles packed their cars and left Tuesday as evacuation orders took hold and a new winter storm arrived....

Prosecutors: Andrews' stalker had other victims
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The man who stalked ESPN reporter Erin Andrews and shot nude videos of her through a hotel room peephole videotaped 16 other women and ran background checks on 30 people, including female sports reporters and TV personalities, according to court documents....

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 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 "in a box."...

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....

Nev. Medicaid cuts could lead to diaper rationing
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- Nevada officials on Tuesday outlined drastic cuts to the state's Medicaid program that include plans to ration adult diapers, eliminate denture and hearing-aid programs, and force personal care assistants to buy their own disposable gloves....