WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Congressional investigators found spotty performance from the start in how federal and state officials handle complaints of housing discrimination: Sometimes they don’t answer the phone or return the calls. To assess enforcement of the federal…

BILLINGS, Mont. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — A federal judge sentenced a Florida man on Friday to five years in prison for conspiring to distribute obscene videotapes. Sanford Wasserman, 65, maintained his innocence and told the judge that he resented being…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — A federal advisory panel determined Friday that the first skin patch to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children is both effective and safe, bringing the patch a step closer to regulatory approval. However, the…

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — A federal judge ruled Friday that Illinois’ restrictions on the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors are unconstitutional and barred the state from enforcing the law. State officials “have come…

SAN FRANCISCO Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Two years ago, as fears of a SARS pandemic spread, a San Diego biotech company aided by federal dollars speeded a promising vaccine out of the lab and into human testing. But when Vical…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Eager to rescue approval ratings dragged low by the Iraq war, President Bush embraced an upbeat employment report Friday and pronounced the future of the U.S. economy “as bright as it’s been in a long…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The nation’s businesses cranked up hiring in November after a two-month lull, a sign the labor market is back in the groove as the ill effects of the Gulf Coast hurricanes fade. Employers expanded payrolls…

DALLAS Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Peter Beasley is a busy man who currently has no health insurance. “To make an appointment and see a doctor, the whole process is very inconvenient,” he says. Beasley is a customer of TelaDoc Medical…

SPRING HILL, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The word “sexy” is just too sexy for a hair salon sign, Spring Hill officials have decided. Cindy Landis, owner of the Studio 4 Hair & More salon, said city officials barred her…