My County Paper - National News

Lawyers urge WTC workers to take settlement
Lawyers and city officials expressed confidence Friday that they can get ground zero responders to sign on to a settlement that would pay up to $657 million to workers who developed health problems after toiling in the ruins of the World Trade Center.
Conservatives put stamp on Texas textbooks
The social studies changes approved by the Texas Board of Education will have a broad influence because the state is one of the nation's largest buyers of textbooks.
New wave of foreclosures threatens market
Swelling ranks of homeowners who are seriously delinquent but haven't yet lost their homes may soon lead to a new round of foreclosures.
Enough with all the medical tests, experts say
Too much cancer screening, too many heart tests, too many cesarean sections. A spate of recent reports suggest that too many Americans — maybe even President Barack Obama — are being overtreated.
Insanity defense planned in Smart case
On the seventh anniversary of Elizabeth Smart's return from her kidnapping ordeal, a judge sets a trial date for the man charged in the case.

Doctor Calls Surgery On Sen. Reid's Wife A Success
Landra Reid suffered a broken back and neck after the van she was riding in with her daughter was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer truck Thursday. Following surgery Friday, her doctor said Reid was not at risk of paralysis.
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Ground Zero Workers Weigh $657 Million Settlement
A federal judge said Friday he will hold a hearing in a week to let people weigh in on a settlement that would pay up to $657 million to a group of people who became ill after spending hundreds of hours in the ruins of the World Trade Center. The workers will have three months to decide whether to accept the package — but some are expressing skepticism.
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Clinton Rebukes Israel For Housing Announcement
The State Department said the secretary of state called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express frustration about a plan to build 1,600 homes in East Jerusalem. Tuesday's announcement cast a pall over a visit to Israel by Vice President Joe Biden and has endangered indirect peace talks with the Palestinians.
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Carrot-And-Stick Health Plans Aim To Cut Costs
Workers at a Portland, Ore., steel mill soon will be able to pick a new type of health insurance: one with financial rewards to use proven treatments and disincentives to use less-effective surgeries and diagnostic tests.
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McConnell's Strategy For Health Care: No
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is on a search-and-destroy mission for anything that comes from the Democrats. This especially applies to health care, where he has decided that opposition boils down to one word: No. Is this a winning strategy? McConnell and his GOP colleagues are betting on it.
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GOP trying to keep Massa probe alive
Republicans continue to push for an in-depth investigation into former Rep. Eric Massa's alleged sexual harassment scandal -- questioning when Democratic leaders knew, and whether they failed to act.
Clinton: Israeli move 'insulting'
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that Israel's announcement of new settlement construction in disputed territory in East Jerusalem was "insulting" to the United States.
Obama delays trip as health vote nears
President Obama's upcoming trip to Indonesia and Australia will be delayed a few days, the White House says.
Reid's wife undergoes neck surgery
The wife of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid underwent neck surgery Friday after being injured with their daughter in a four-vehicle wreck in suburban Washington a day earlier, her surgeon said.
House Dems face tough go on health care reform
House Democratic leaders hoping to pass a health care reform bill by the Easter congressional recess face increasingly difficult odds, as several of the party's rank-and-file have come out against the Senate's plan.

Slideshow: March 4 - 11
A rose in Serbia, wasted wine in Chile, soldiers play in Baghdad, snow meets the ocean in France, an icy freeway wreck in Germany and more news and feature photos from around the world.
Slideshow: Feb. 15 - March 4
A festival of colors in India, an idle line of yellow taxis in Greece and quake-ravaged coastal towns in Chile highlight this collection of eye-catching images.
Slideshow: Feb. 18 - 25
Raging floodwaters in Portugal, a spring festival of colors in India, Olympics ice action in Canada and more eye-catching photos from around the world.
Slideshow: Feb. 11 - 18
An Olympic victory, a painful homecoming, combat in Afghanistan and more striking images from around the world.
Slideshow: Feb. 4 - 11
A snowed-in U.S. Capitol, a destitute child in quake-torn Haiti, spaceship-like jellyfish in a Philippines lake, a water-logged taxi in Mexico and more eye-catching images from around the world.

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9/11 settlement case to go before judge
A New York judge may approve a $657 million settlement Friday for workers who became ill after the 9/11 terrorists attacks.
Vaccine court finds no link to autism
A special court ruled Friday that there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that vaccines caused autism in three cases.
FAA urges $787,500 in fines for American Airlines
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday proposed $787,500 in fines against American Airlines for maintenance violations.
Coroner: Drug overdose not ruled out in Corey Haim's death
Although Corey Haim's heart was enlarged and he had fluid in his lungs, the coroner's chief investigator says a drug overdose has not been ruled out as the cause of the actor's death.
FBI, nuclear agency investigate terrorism suspect
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is working with the FBI to determine whether a New Jersey man suspected of being an al Qaeda member had access to any sensitive areas of the nuclear plants where he once worked, a commission spokeswoman said Friday.
Alaska authorities say woman may have died in wolf attack
Authorities in Alaska are investigating whether a wolf attack killed a 32-year-old woman whose body was found in a remote area near a small village.
High school hires female football coach
A high school in Washington, D.C., is set to name a former women's professional football player as its head varsity football coach Friday, a move that a national women's sports advocacy group calls historic.