Rock Island resident and Van Buren County native Doris Winston Snider, 56, died Sept. 25 at home after an extended illness.A retired Carrier employee, he was the son of the late John William and Grace Ann Hillis Snider; and was preceded in death by stepson, William Eric Gooch; and brother, Jewel Castell (Ted) Snider.He is…

NEW YORK (AP) — NBC’s and ABC’s morning shows are channeling their bitter competition into philanthropy for Hurricane Katrina victims. NBC has turned New York’s Rockefeller Plaza — home of the “Today” show — into “Humanity Plaza,” a staging ground to build homes with Habitat for Humanity that will be trucked south for those who…

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The title of Atmosphere’s new album is “You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having.” The rappers, it seems, are being sarcastic. It’s hard to think otherwise after a few spins of songs that cover tortured father-son relationships, America’s over-reliance on antidepressants and the 2003 murder of a 16-year-old fan after an…

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The concept of “intelligent design” is a form of creationism and is not based on scientific method, a professor testified Wednesday in a trial over whether the idea should be taught in public schools. Robert T. Pennock, a professor of science and philosophy at Michigan State University, testified on behalf of…

NEW YORK (AP) — As its hurricane relief donations near the $1 billion mark, more than double all other charities combined, the American Red Cross is encountering sharp criticism of its efforts and mounting pressure to share funds with smaller groups. The complaints — that Red Cross operations were chaotic in some places, inequitable in…

WASHINGTON (AP) — New orders for big-ticket manufactured products rose in August at the fastest pace in three months, providing a reassuring sign that American factories are not headed for another slump. The Commerce Department said that orders for durable goods, items expected to last at least three years, jumped 3.3 percent after falling by…

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — The $100 laptop computers that Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers want to get into the hands of the world’s children would be durable, flexible and self-reliant. The machines’ AC adapter would double as a carrying strap, and a hand crank would power them when there’s no electricity. They’d be foldable like…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Gulf Coast governors pleaded with Congress on Wednesday to provide economic and tax incentives to bring back investments and jobs needed for their states to recover and rebuild after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco told the Senate Finance Committee her state lost 25 percent of its business economy when…

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE / AP Medical Writer Doctors seem to have found a way to make bone marrow transplants safer and more effective against blood cancers like leukemia, an achievement that offers new hope for people over 50 in particular. The advance by Stanford University doctors could make such transplants, which have dramatically improved cancer…

By RON FOURNIER / AP Political Writer TOM DELAY (AP Photo) WASHINGTON — Drip, drip, drip. The criminal conspiracy indictment against Tom DeLay adds to the political water torture of Republicans, the party in power that stands to lose if the public’s mood continues to sour.Voters are turning against the Iraq war, fretting about the…