BENTONVILLE, Ark. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — After watching its sales momentum surge over the past four decades, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. now finds it has to work harder to grow — with 3,900 stores nearly saturating the U.S. market, it’s the…

LAURENS, S.C. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — An elementary school teacher was arrested Friday on charges she had sex with one of her 11-year-old students, authorities said. Wendie A. Schweikert, 36, was booked on two counts of criminal sexual conduct with…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — IRS exams found nearly three out of four churches, charities and other civic groups suspected of having violated restraints on political activity in the 2004 election actually did so, the agency said Friday. Most of…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Substitute teachers in Alabama are among the lowest-paid in the nation, making as little as $37 a day, which works out to less than the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. Alabama’s proposed…

McLEAN, Va. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — A conference sponsored by a group that argues whites are superior to blacks will be held this weekend at the Dulles Hyatt, prompting criticism of the hotel chain for hosting the event. The American…

RALEIGH, N.C. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The Army has charged seven paratroopers from the celebrated 82nd Airborne Division with engaging in sex acts in videos shown on a gay pornography Web site. Three of the soldiers face courts-martial on charges…

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Three dozen contests for governor next fall promise to shake up the nation’s political map, with Republicans fighting to hold on to several critical states and the results offering clues to the bigger prize ahead —…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Death row inmates in more than a dozen states are fighting lethal injection, and with surprising success. What once appeared to be a long-shot legal argument now seems to be gaining ground. Judges from California…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Iran has replaced Iraq as the country Americans consider to be their greatest enemy, according to a Gallup Poll. Canada and Great Britain were ranked as America’s best friends. The percentage of Americans with a…

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority trustees unanimously approved a plan Thursday to reorganize staff and operations at Erlanger Medical Center in an effort to improve the public hospital’s finances by $100 million. The moves comes…