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WASHINGTON – The Federal Trade Commission on Monday said it found 15 examples of gasoline price gouging after Hurricane Katrina, though the agency said it has not identified any widespread effort by the oil industry to illegally manipulate the marketplace. The agency sought to downplay the instances of post-hurricane price …

WASHINGTON – When kids born in 2005 head to kindergarten in a few years, a lot of them will be raising their hands when the teacher calls out “Emily” or “Jacob.” In border states, it will be hard to miss Jose, Angel and Mia. For the 10th year running, Emily …

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Rush Limbaugh must submit to random drug tests under an agreement filed Monday that will dismiss a prescription fraud charge against the conservative commentator after 18 months if he complies with the terms. He also must continue treatment for his acknowledged addiction to painkillers and …

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A soldier said he was only showing his gratitude when gave his Purple Heart to a 13-year-old student being honored for winning a contest for writing letters to American troops. “It’s important what these children do for us in sending these letters,” said Staff Sgt. Phillip Trackey, …

CAMDEN, N.J. – Prosecutors want to try two boys as adults for allegedly plotting a killing spree starting at Winslow Township High School. Acting Camden County Prosecutor James Lynch is seeking to have the cases of the 15- and 16-year-old boys moved to adult court, but he’ll keep the cases …

WASHINGTON – Taxpayers have no right to challenge nearly $300 million in tax breaks that Ohio’s elected officials used to entice DaimlerChrysler AG to build a new plant in Toledo, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday. By ruling that the taxpayers had no right to sue, the justices avoided deciding …

METHUEN, Mass. – Driving rains that caused the worst flooding in New England since the 1930s finally eased up Tuesday, but washed-out roads and the danger of dam breaks prevented many people from returning to their homes. More than a foot of rain fell across New Hampshire, Massachusetts and southern …

SALT LAKE CITY – Mexican President Vicente Fox said Wednesday that immigration is the most pressing challenge to the relationship between his country and the United States, but it also is their greatest opportunity. Building a wall on the border is not the answer to illegal immigration into the United …

LOS ANGELES – Television actor and “Dancing With the Stars” competitor John O’Hurley announced Wednesday that he and his wife, Lisa, are expecting their first child. They married in 2004. O’Hurley, 51, is known for his role as catalog king J. Peterman on the long-running “Seinfeld” television sitcom. He also …

LOS ANGELES – An appeals court has ruled that a federal judge erred in requiring a sex offender to undergo a periodic test that measures his response to erotic images. In its decision handed down Tuesday, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals described the test as “Orwellian” because it …