KENNEWICK -- Showcasing the Tri-Cities to visitors has been a mission of the Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau since its inception in 1969.

The manager for St. Vincent de Paul food bank is looking forward to getting a donation of nonperishable food items collected by car dealers in the Pasco Autoplex with the help of Yoke's Fresh Markets and Tri-Cities Prep High School.

Work has begun on the interior fittings of the Hanford vitrification plant's largest building as it continues to rise.

SEATTLE -- Personal computers are changing -- and not just because of the recent launch of Windows 7. Visit an electronics store and you might also find laptops are missing a familiar component. You could experiment with new ways of controlling some computers. And you'll see portable PCs slimming down.

LONGVIEW -- With glasses, a plaid shirt and blue jeans, John Koehler doesn't fit the image of a modern-day bootlegger.

RICHLAND -- About 30 people attended a hearing Friday in Richland about a state proposal that would raise workers' compensation premiums for employers by about four cents an hour in 2010.

They're cheesemongers but prefer to be called cheese mongrels.

KENNEWICK -- Cascade Natural Gas Corp. said Wednesday that it picked a site in Kennewick for the location of its new general office.

A new family-owned clothing boutique in Richland's Uptown Shopping Center is aiming for the young at heart.

An avalanche is a nightmare for a skier but for the Griffiths family, it's a dream come true.

WASHINGTON The Democratic-controlled House has narrowly passed landmark health care reform legislation, handing President Barack Obama a hard won victory on his signature domestic priority.

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt China's premier on Sunday pledged $10 billion in low interest loans to African nations over the next three years and said Beijing would cancel the government debts of some of the poorest of those countries, as the Asian powerhouse looked to deflect criticism that its investments in the continent were motivated purely by greed.

If holiday travelers on the same plane compare what they paid to fly, they're likely to find quite a spread, depending on when they bought their tickets.

NEW DELHI, India The Indian government is pushing ahead with economic reforms aimed at achieving a growth rate of more than 7 percent next year but will make sure the benefits reach the poor, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday.

WASHINGTON A bipartisan House coalition voted Saturday to prohibit coverage of abortions in a new government-run health care plan that Democrats would establish to compete with private insurers.

WASHINGTON With the technology industry looking on, the Supreme Court on Monday will explore what types of inventions should be eligible for a patent in a pivotal case that could undermine such legal protections for software.

DALLAS AT&T Inc. said Friday that its acquisition of smaller wireless carrier Centennial Communications Corp., has closed after several delays due to the regulatory process.

NEW YORK Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. reports earnings for its fiscal second quarter, which ended in September, on Monday after the market closes. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

BOSTON Massachusetts has received about $2 million in federal stimulus funding to help identify the speed and location of broadband services in the state over the next five years.

LOS ANGELES A federal judge has temporarily blocked two music-sharing Web sites from selling songs by The Beatles and other artists for 25 cents apiece.