Litigation and Regulation

French utility Electricite de France, rebuffed in its efforts to acquire Constellation Energy Group, is expected today to offer to buy 50 percent of Constellation's nuclear power business for nearly the same price that MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co....

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) _ Angry environmentalists launched an online campaign Wednesday urging President-elect Barack Obama to undo a federal rule that clarifies when coal companies can dump mining waste in streams, calling it a long-awaited "parting gift"...

Iowa State coach Greg McDermott discovered Tuesday night that homecomings are a lot more fun when they end with a victory. Craig Brackins set season highs with 32 points and 16 rebounds and Iowa State beat Northern Iowa 71-66 in overtime on Tuesday...

HEALTH Dr. Richard R. Rubenstein has been named director of surgical program development at Peconic Bay Medical Center. The Riverhead resident is a thoracic surgeon and a pioneer in bariatric surgery. He is a member of the medical center's board of...

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has appointed a deputy governor to serve as adviser for economic development, business regulation and environmental affairs. Dean Martinez had been secretary of Blagojevich's Department of Financial and Professional...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Federal regulators have rejected proposed changes by the Federal Communications Commission that would require all U.S. cell phone towers to have at least eight hours of backup power. The White House Office of Management and Budget...

Radek Dvorak, Ville Peltonen and Gregory Campbell had a goal and an assist each, and the Florida Panthers beat the Washington Capitals 5-3 Tuesday night. Nicklas Backstrom's power-play goal gave Washington a 1-0 first-period lead. His pass banged off...

French utility Electricite de France, rebuffed in its efforts to acquire Constellation Energy Group, is expected Wednesday to offer to buy 50 percent of Constellation's nuclear power business for nearly the same price that MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co....

Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski has spent at least $940,000 in legal fees over the past two years with little oversight by City Council, but that may soon change if council's president gets his wish. The city charter gives the mayor the power to hire...

The Bush administration is planning to announce a broad new "right of conscience" rule permitting medical facilities, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care workers to refuse to participate in any way in morally "objectionable procedures" such...

Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev scored in a shootout to give the New York Rangers a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Friday night. Henrik Lundqvist allowed Rostislav Olesz's goal in the tiebreaker, then stopped the final two attempts to...

President-elect Barack Obama will soon face the extraordinary task of saving capitalism from its own excesses, much as Franklin D. Roosevelt had to do 76 years ago. The new president's team must get to the root causes of the mistakes that have brought...