Round 2: Blizzards hit Mid-Atlantic to New York
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Snow, wind and slush hounded eastern commuters early Wednesday as blizzard warnings from Baltimore to New York City heralded the second major snowstorm in less than a week for the region....

Calif. storm sputters but LA evacuations continue
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. (AP) -- Evacuations are still in effect for more than 500 foothill homes in Southern California even though the storm that spawned them is petering out....

Space shuttle Endeavour pulls in at space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Shuttle Endeavour arrived to a warm welcome at the International Space Station early Wednesday, delivering a new room and observation deck that will come close to completing construction 200 miles above Earth....

Ex-Ill. gov. to answer revised corruption charges
CHICAGO (AP) -- Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich heads to court Wednesday to answer a revised batch of charges that he schemed to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat and swap official favors for campaign money....

Ex-Ill. cop's hearing feels like real murder trial
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Family members, investigators, clergy and even a psychic have spent weeks testifying in a northern Illinois courtroom - and Drew Peterson's murder trial hasn't even started....

NY senator who dragged girlfriend fights expulsion
ALBANY, N.Y (AP) -- A Democratic state senator who betrayed his colleagues by joining Republicans in a brief coup and was convicted of a misdemeanor assault charge for dragging his girlfriend around during an argument at his apartment says he'll go back to court to fight his expulsion from the Senate....

Latest plan to cut farm subsidies likely dead
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- If history and the political lineup are any guides, President Barack Obama's latest effort to cut subsidies for wealthy farmers likely will fare no better than his first try - or his predecessor's attempt....

Rare earthquake rattles northern Ill.; no damage
CHICAGO (AP) -- A small pre-dawn earthquake has hit northern Illinois, startling sleepy-eyed residents as far away as Iowa and Indiana, but no damage or injuries were immediately reported....

NY governor says he'll step aside only 'in a box'
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York Gov. David Paterson, defying calls from even fellow Democrats to drop out of the race for a full term, said Tuesday that he would leave only if the voters turned him out through the ballot box, or he's carried out "in a box."...

Anthem asked to justify rate hike in California
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- In his push to move stalled health care reform, President Barack Obama is appealing to American pocketbooks by calling one health insurer's major rate hike in California a harbinger of rising premiums....