By ELLIOTT MINOR / Associated Press Writer ALBANY, Ga. (AP) — Prices for Southern-grown timber increased to their highest levels in nearly three years during 2003’s final quarter, but experts aren’t sure if it was simply a market blip or the beginning of an upward trend, a consultant says. Marshall Thomas, president of Albany-based F&W…

By WILL LESTER / Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Almost a third of Americans say paying for prescription drugs is a problem in their families, and many are cutting dosages to deal with the crunch, according to a poll by The Associated Press. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed in the AP-Ipsos poll said the…

By MALCOLM RITTER / AP Science Writer Frank Knower knew something was wrong when he kept having conversations with co-workers and later couldn’t remember a thing that was said. He couldn’t even remember what he’d said. Later, after he retired, he discovered another problem: He got irresistibly drowsy during long drives. None of the usual…

By JEANNINE AVERSA / Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — American households’ finances are generally in good shape even though consumers have built mountains of debt and bankruptcy filings have surged, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Monday. Decades of low interest rates and extra cash from refinancing have given people flexibility to better manage…

By ROBERT TANNER / AP National Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Gay marriage may be drawing protesters by the hundreds, the attention of courts in Massachusetts and California, and the scrutiny of President Bush, but the nation’s governors officially ignored it at their meeting on the top issues facing the states. Democratic governors see it either…

By LAURAN NEERGAARD / AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of middle-aged and older Americans unknowingly harbor one of three eye diseases that could blind them — diseases that could be detected in time to save at least some sight if they got regular eye exams. Glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy all sneak…

By JOHN RABY / AP Sports Writer FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) — Teenagers Chris Koay and Kyle Cayer toss bowling balls down the lane, their clothing illuminated by fluorescent black lights while rotating multicolors swirl around an otherwise dark alley. Not far away Emily Sloane is celebrating her 13th birthday, racing electric go-carts with four friends…

By KYLE WINGFIELD / Associated Press Writer MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Once again, followers of Roy Moore marched recently through downtown Montgomery, past the building that displayed his Ten Commandments monument — this time to build support for an appeal of his ouster as chief justice. The pro-Moore assemblage, however, numbered not a couple hundred…

NEW YORK (AP) — Three in 10 American polled last month said that Osama bin Laden should be the first victim if executions were televised — and 21 percent said they’d pay for the privilege. Eighteen percent said Saddam Hussein should be executed on TV, and 11 percent said they’d pay to watch it. The…

By SCOTT LINDLAW / Associated Press Writer President Bush speaks at the Republican Governors Association reception in Washington Monday, Feb. 23, 2004 (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush, casting aside his desire to appear above the political fray, struck back at his Democratic critics, portraying presidential front-runner John Kerry as a waffler and…