05/16/2008

Housing construction posts surprising rebound in April 8:42 AM CT
The Commerce Department reported Friday that housing construction rose by 8.2 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.03 million units. Building of single-family homes continued to weaken, however. The growth came from a big jump in apartment construction.
Residential real estate news

05/15/2008

Lawmakers can keep ties to stocks secret
The law is full of exceptions, and when it comes to conflicts of interest involving personal investments, Congress found a big one: It didn't write a law. While Congress prescribed a strict conflict-of-interest law for the judiciary, it didn't apply the same test to lawmakers.That's allowed Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to oppose bills that would hurt Irving-based Exxon, in which Ms. Hutchison owns stock valued between $100,000 and $250,000.

05/16/2008

Missouri woman faces federal charges in MySpace suicide case
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a Missouri woman accused of helping perpetrate a hoax on MySpace.com against a 13-year-old neighbor who later hanged herself.

05/15/2008

Texas Sen. John Cornyn: California gay marriage decision will spark push for national ban
Sen. Cornyn noted that during congressional debates on the issue several years ago, one argument used by opponents of a constitutional ban was that few states allowed such arrangements, making the drastic step premature.

California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage ban
Domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage, the justices ruled 4-3 in an opinion written by Chief Justice Ron George.

05/14/2008

Mexican police chiefs flee to U.S. for safety
Drug cartel attacks against Mexican police have become so violent and so common that some Mexican police chiefs are seeking safety in the United States.

05/15/2008

As drug violence intensifies, some Mexican police chiefs seek asylum in U.S.
WASHINGTON – Drug cartel attacks against Mexican police have become so violent and so common that some Mexican police chiefs are seeking safety in the United States.

05/13/2008

Congress votes to halt deposits to oil reserve
Groping for a quick response to rising gasoline prices, Congress voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to order the Bush administration to stop depositing oil in a national reserve even though lawmakers predicted the impact for consumers would be modest at best.

05/14/2008

Bush administration rules limit product lawsuits
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration has found a way to make it more difficult for consumers to sue companies over faulty products. It's rewriting the rulebook.

Girl Scout sets record for cookie sales
DEARBORN, Mich. – Jennifer Sharpe knows how to sell Girl Scout cookies. She sold them to friends. She sold them to strangers. She even persuaded her orthodontist to buy the popular sweet treats.

05/13/2008

Girl Scout sets record for cookie sales with 17,323 boxes sold
With 17,323 boxes sold under her name, a 15-year-old Dearborn girl is believed to have sold more cookies in a single season than anyone in the United States ever, according to Girl Scout officials.

05/12/2008

J.D. Tippit's widow sees his name on officers' memorial for first time
More than four decades have passed since Marie Tippit lost her husband to John F. Kennedy’s assassin on that fateful November day in Dallas, and on Monday, she got to see J.D. Tippit’s name etched alongside those of thousands of other fallen police officers.

05/13/2008

Families make case for vaccine link to autism
WASHINGTON – Parents claiming that childhood vaccines cause autism should not be rewarded by the courts when the scientific community has already rejected any link, government lawyers argued Monday on the first day of a hearing in federal court.

05/12/2008

Stamps rise to 42 cents today
An extra penny for your thoughts. Mailing a letter costs a penny more this week, with the price of a first-class stamp rising to 42 cents Monday.

05/11/2008

Texas polygamist sect seeks Bush's help
A member of an embattled polygamous church likened a raid by Texas authorities to an act of terrorism in a letter to President Bush.

05/12/2008

At least 22 die in weekend tornadoes
Stunned tornado survivors picked through the little that was left of their towns Sunday after storms tore across the Plains and South, killing at least 22 people in three states and leaving behind a trail of destruction and stories of loss.

Stimulus checks come with complications
When Maulit Shelat heard about plans to pump up the economy by sending out checks, he sat down with his wife and set priorities: first up, remodeling the bathroom.

Nation briefs

05/11/2008

53 illegal immigrants held against will in Phoenix
Arizona authorities on Sunday found 53 illegal immigrants in a Phoenix home being held against their will by suspected smugglers demanding more money for their release.

Wildfire in central New Mexico fully contained
A wildfire that burned 59 homes and more than 21 square miles in central New Mexico's Manzano Mountains was fully contained Sunday.

Gospel singer Dottie Rambo dies in tour bus wreck in Missouri
Joyce "Dottie" Rambo, an influential gospel singer and songwriter, died early Sunday when her tour bus ran off the highway and struck an embankment. She was 74.

05/10/2008

Immigration raids catch citizens and legal residents
Two U.S. citizens and one legal permanent resident were among those arrested last month in Mount Pleasant, Texas, during a federal immigration crackdown targeting identity fraud at poultry giant Pilgrim's Pride.

Clinton continues to fight as superdelegates flock to Obama
Barack Obama caught up to his rival Friday in the scramble for superdelegates, a major symbolic blow to Hillary Rodham Clinton's claim that she can still win the Democratic presidential nomination. But the 13 Texans already in her camp held firm.

05/09/2008

Travelers feeling weighed down with airline fees

MICHAEL AINSWORTH / Special to DMN

Brothers Mark (left) and Bill Shaw attempt to check in more than one bag at the American Airlines terminal at D/FW Airport on Wednesday.

Starting Monday, most major airlines began charging $25 for a second checked bag to domestic passengers who aren't elite frequent fliers or sitting in premium class. American Airlines added a similar fee that begins next Monday.

U.S. housing rebound is a long way off, industry leaders say
Economists and housing industry leaders meeting in Dallas this week predict it will be very late 2008 or into 2009 before the battered home market begins to recover.

Wedding excitement builds near Bush ranch
While man residents of Crawford share a genuine hope for the future happiness of presidential daughter Jenna Bush, who’s being married tonight, many love the idea that, for them, it signifies an ending.

Flu vaccine makers to set new doses record for next season
Flu vaccine manufacturers expect to make a record number of doses for next flu season despite concerns that demand may drop because this year's vaccine was largely ineffective.

Suicide rate among doctors thought to be higher than that of general populus
An estimated 300 to 400 U.S. doctors kill themselves each year – a suicide rate thought to be higher than in the general population, although exact figures are hard to come by.