Posted 9 months 2 weeks ago by Greg Boyce
Source: The Associated Press

What happens when you cross the world's largest social network with one of the hottest business models in e-commerce? Facebook wants to find out.

Facebook is launching a deals program Tuesday in five U.S. cities, following on the popularity of Groupon and other services that offer deep discounts for example: $50 worth of food at a local eatery for $25.

By allowing small businesses to leverage the Internet while helping consumers score great deals, these group-couponing ser… Click to Read More

Tagged As: US-Facebook-Deals

Posted 9 months 2 weeks ago by Greg Boyce

PALMETTO, Fla. (AP) A Tampa-area woman found an unwelcome weekend guest in her bathroom -- a 7-foot alligator.

Alexis Dunbar says she screamed and the alligator hissed when she found it inside the bathroom of her home Saturday afternoon. Her boyfriend propped a small table by the bathroom to keep the gator inside until an officer from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission showed up to take him away.

Dunbar believes the alligator used a doggie door on th… Click to Read More

Tagged As: alligator, bathroom, florida

Posted 9 months 3 weeks ago by Bea Karnes
Source: The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) Lender processing delays reduced the number of U.S. homes taken back by banks in the first three months of the year and contributed to a sharp drop in properties entering the foreclosure process.

But March foreclosure data suggest foreclosure activity may be starting to creep higher, as lenders make progress tackling a backlog of pending foreclosure cases.

Banks repossessed 215,046 homes in the January to March quarter, down 6 percent from the fourth quart… Click to Read More

Tagged As: Foreclosure Rates

Posted 10 months 2 days ago by Bea Karnes
Source: The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) From cradle to grave, minority populations tend to suffer poorer health and get poorer health care than white Americans. In a first-of-its-kind report, the government is recommending steps to reduce those disparities.

The plan being released Friday runs the gamut from improving dental care for poor children to tapping "promotoras," savvy community health workers who can help guide their Spanish-speaking neighbors in seeking treatment.

But it acknowledges th… Click to Read More

Tagged As: Health Disparities

Posted 10 months 3 days ago by Bea Karnes
Source: The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) The Pentagon says NATO will have to adjust the way it operates in Libya to keep up with changing tactics by forces of Moammar Gadhafi.

Rebels opposed to Gadhafi are complaining that NATO air strikes are too late and that NATO has allowed Gadhafi forces to push them from the oil port of Brega.

Both NATO and U.S. officials counter that it has become harder to strike Gadhafi forces because they are disguising themselves in civilian clothes, hiding among the po… Click to Read More

Tagged As: US-Libya-Military

Posted 10 months 4 days ago by Bea Karnes
Source: The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) This week, workers at the stricken Japanese nuclear plant dumped radioactive water into the ocean to make room for storing even more highly contaminated water on the site. The water dumping came after earlier leaks of radioactive water that had already raised concerns about its effects in the ocean, raising questions about health and safety. Here are answers to some of those questions.

Q. Can you see radiation?

A. No, you can't see, taste or smell it.