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LAS VEGAS – George Lee Lutz, whose brief stay in an Amityville, N.Y., home spawned one of the most famous haunted house stories ever, has died of natural causes. He was 59. Lutz, a Las Vegas resident, died Monday, his lawyer Larry Zerner of Los Angeles said Wednesday. The Clark …

WASHINGTON – Democratic chairman Howard Dean mischaracterized his party’s platform on gay rights in an interview courting evangelicals, then set the record straight Thursday when an advocacy group called him on it. Dean told Christian Broadcasting Network News that the 2004 Democratic platform declares “marriage is between a man and …

NEW YORK – Television recording technology company TiVo Inc. (TIVO) on Monday said it launched a service that will allow its customers to search for and watch extended commercials when they choose. TiVo, whose set-top boxes became somewhat infamous for simplifying TV watchers’ ability to skip commercials, says “TiVo Product …

ALTOONA, Pa. – If you’re a baseball fan, you’ve likely been to a game on “Dollar Hot Dog Night” or maybe “Get Some Kind of Bag or Hat or Something Not Too Terribly Exciting Free at the Door Night.” But if you happen to be a fan of the Altoona …

WASHINGTON – Treasury Secretary John Snow received a tongue-lashing Thursday from senators over what they said was the adminstration’s failure to force China to adjust its overvalued currency. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Treasury’s report last week that declined to brand China as a currency manipulator was “a technical and …

JUNEAU, Alaska – Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski, the nation’s oldest governor at 73, announced Friday that he will seek a second term. Murkowski, a Republican, told a crowd of party faithful in Fairbanks that he wanted to finish the job he began four years ago after leaving the U.S. Senate …

NEW YORK – Malaysia is hoping to wash its restrooms’ stinky reputation down the drain. The country’s toilets, which long have irked residents and tourists, are the subject of a two-day conference in Kuala Lumpur, the National Toilet Summit, aimed at improving sanitary conditions at facilities throughout Malaysia, the Associated …

HOUSTON – Last-minute changes to quarterly earnings reports prosecutors contend were ordered by Enron Corp. Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling to improve the company’s reputation on Wall Street were accurate, and not the result of improper tapping of company reserves, a defense expert testified Wednesday. “The whole process of financial reporting, …

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Canary Islands – The tales of desperation that flood the Canary Islands‘ shores with hundreds of arriving African migrants include those from people too tiny to speak. Six babies, some younger than 7 months old, were among more than 700 migrants intercepted Monday trying to reach …

WASHINGTON – President Bush‘s selection of a savvy Wall Street veteran to be his third treasury secretary is winning widespread praise, but Democrats say it will take a change in policies — not just personnel — to deal with budget and trade deficits and other economic problems. With his approval …