Online Features
Gift Ideas
5V0D_15194319_web.jpg
Secrets of building a great gift basket
Giving a great gift basket is like bestowing a buffet of gifts on your loved one, and when the well-put-together gift basket is opened, well, that's a magical moment. Beneath the pretty decorations lie enchanting mysteries that emerge one-by-one to the delight of the recipient. Here is some advice for putting together a ...
full story
G2JD_15401531_web.jpg
Give a U.S. Savings Bond gift this holiday season
To celebrate the holiday season, the U.S. Department of the Treasury is proud to introduce a new set of savings bond certificates to mark the time-honored tradition of giving U.S. Savings Bonds as holiday gifts. The newly designed gift certificates feature historical and patriotic themes and can be given when digital sav...
full story
2NUJ_16175521_web.jpg
Give the gift of hearing this holiday season
Getting older doesn't necessarily mean looking and feeling older. Age 50 is the new 30, according to celebrities who crossed that threshold in recent years. And while the body can start to show signs of aging, it doesn't necessarily mean one has to suffer.
full story
BJP8_1645215_web.jpg
Gifts that can help close the generation gap
Grandma gives Johnny wool socks. Susie delivers ear buds to Grandpa, who thinks an MP3 player is a character in a James Bond movie. When it comes to the gaps between generations, gift-giving can cast into stark relief the differences between age groups. But it is possible to find gifts that spring from common ground - an...
full story
6MTW_8071240101.jpg_r_639926314
Holiday shoppers flocking to online retailers [INFOGRAPHIC]
While American consumers continue to embrace the age-old traditions of the holidays -greeting cards, yuletide carols and presents for all - consumer shopping habits are showing a big shift. Internet sites are more popular than ever among shoppers.
full story
HTY_15375586_web.jpg
Giving the gift of living roses
Everyone loves to receive a bouquet of roses as a gift, but an even better gift is one that keeps on giving for years to come. Why not give a beautiful rose bush instead of a bouquet of flowers? Whether for birthdays, holidays, the birth of a baby, a house warming or even as a hostess gift, it's a wonderful show of appre...
full story
IYBL_13588233_web.jpg
Five must-have tech gifts for the college bound
If you'll be buying for a college kid this summer, here are five tech gift ideas that can help make their college careers easier, more fun and more memorable.
full story
8JVG_1562262_web.jpg
Great gifts to make this Father's Day one to remember
What do you get the man who's done everything for you - from spending sleepless nights changing dirty diapers to trading in his muscle car for a minivan - but asked nothing in return? This year, start paying dad back for all he's done by making Father's Day the best yet with these surefire gift ideas.
full story
88CV_15400243_web.jpg
Savings bonds: Give the gift of a bright future
They're the same bonds you remember getting as a child, but with a digital twist. U.S. Savings Bonds are making a comeback, just in time for the graduation and wedding gift-giving season.
full story
FM95_15372173_web.jpg
Gift ideas for the handyman
For some families, the local handyman never gets a call because the right man for the job is already at home ready to tackle do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. Show him that his hard work around the house has not gone unnoticed. Whether it's for Father's Day, or any other occasion throughout the year, here are a few gift ide...
full story
CJHO_15487994_web.jpg
Gift wrapping tips: Fashionable and functional ways to make packages extra special
The warm weather seasons are well stocked with special occasions. Whether you're saying best wishes at a friend's wedding or offering congratulations to a recent grad, it's easy to make your gift the brightest in the pile. Follow these simple tips to inspire your imagination and you'll create gift wrapping that's as spec...
full story
7OIU_15546135_web.jpg
Birding gifts for the holidays
Birding gifts for the holidays Birdwatching is the fastest growing hobby in the United States, and is enjoyed by a variety of individuals. Kids enjoy seeing birds in their play spaces and learning about new animals, while gardeners enjoy attracting birds with their blooming flowers. Others may have a flair for identifyi...
full story
national news

Hagel takes part in a news conference on efforts to eliminate VA claims backlogs, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called sexual assault a "scourge" on Saturday as he addressed graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where a sergeant stands accused of videotaping female cadets in the showers. "Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military are a profound betrayal - a profound betrayal - of sacred oaths and sacred trusts," Hagel said. "This scourge must be stamped out." His comments came a day after President Barack Obama delivered a similar message to graduates at the U.S. ...


Sat May 25 09:32:33 UTC 2013

Detroit's emergency financial manager Kevyn Orr talks to members of the media about the report he delivered to the State of Michigan about Detroit's finances, in DetroitBy Malia Mattoch McManus HONOLULU (Reuters) - The city of Detroit may be facing a deepening financial crisis but that hasn't stopped four trustees of its public pension funds from spending $22,000 of retirement system funds to attend a conference in Hawaii this week. The trip 4,500 miles west to a four-star resort on the world-famous Waikiki Beach in Honolulu doesn't sit well with the top officials now running Detroit's finances under an emergency order from the state of Michigan. ...


Sat May 25 07:08:06 UTC 2013
(Reuters) - Two freight trains collided at a rail intersection in Missouri on Saturday, triggering the collapse of a highway overpass when several rail cars derailed and struck a support pillar, a county sheriff's dispatcher said. Seven people were hurt, including five in cars on the two-lane overpass near southeastern Missouri town of Chaffee and the conductors of the two trains, Scott County Sheriff's dispatcher Clay Slipis said. ...
Sat May 25 09:48:35 UTC 2013
From William Ray Fullmer: "My nephew, Sgt. Derek Tillman Roberts, spilled his blood on the sands of Iraq to extend the right to live free to the people of the Middle East. On June 14, 2007, Derek was killed by a roadside bomb in Kirkuk, placed by those too cowardly to face him on the [...]
Fri May 24 13:55:25 UTC 2013