Online Features
Lawn & Garden
Backyard trends: Save money installing your own vinyl fence
(BPT) - If you want the maintenance-free benefits of a vinyl fence but are intimidated by the price tag, you’re not alone. Many homeowners are initially surprised at the cost of a vinyl fence, particularly since the installation costs are generally as much as the materials. Recent trends show that more and more homeowne...
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Well-built decks marry personality and functionality
(BPT) - As temperatures increase, your thoughts may wander to spending time outside sharing conversation, drinks and meals with friends and family. For many homeowners, that can mean renovating an existing gathering spot or replacing it with a new deck. A well-planned deck can increase a home’s value and usable space. ...
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national news

A bowl of free New York City condoms are seen in a lobby at the AIDS Service Center of New York City (ASC/NYC) lower Manhattan headquartersBy Stephanie Simon (Reuters) - Students at all Boston public high schools may soon be able to obtain free condoms at the front office - as long as they sit through a few minutes of counseling about safe sex - under a policy due to be voted on Wednesday by the school board. Condoms are already available in 19 high schools with on-site health centers. The policy, up for a vote by the Boston School Committee, would expand distribution to all 32 high schools in the system. Parents would have the right to exempt their children. Several U.S. ...


2013-06-19 14:52:05 -0500

Defense Attorney O'Mara and prosecutor de la Rionda talk as jury selection continues in George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial in SanfordBy Barbara Liston SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - The final round of jury selection began in Florida on Wednesday in the trial of a former neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, who is charged with the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager in February last year. Lawyers on both sides are working to whittle down a group of 40 potential jurors to form a panel of six and at least four alternates with the expectation that prosecutors and lawyers will deliver opening arguments on Monday. ...


2013-06-19 13:48:47 -0500

Handout photo of three F-35 Joint Strike Fighters flying over Edwards Air Force BaseBy David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The theft of sensitive design data by hackers targeting programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter takes away a big U.S. advantage by allowing rivals to speed up development of their own stealth aircraft, a top Pentagon official said on Wednesday. Defense acquisitions chief Frank Kendall told a Senate hearing he was reasonably confident that classified information related to the development of the F-35 was well-protected. "But I'm not at all confident that our unclassified information is as well-protected," he said. ...


2013-06-19 13:41:54 -0500
NEW YORK -- Staten Island resident Donna Lokhammer can add another chore to her list: sorting through her garbage for organic waste like potato peels, coffee grounds, and chicken bones, and gathering these scraps in a bin to be put out on curb every Saturday morning. “I’m not so crazy about the size of the [...]
2013-06-19 14:29:37 -0500