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Why did America change its mind about legal marijuana?A new poll says that 51 percent of Americans support legal marijuana for recreational use. This comes a month after two states became the first to do just that.
Top 10 most looked-up words of 2012? Lots of political malarkey.Merriam-Webster released its list of the 10 most looked-up words in its online dictionary. Socialism and capitalism came joint first on a list heavily influenced by Election 2012.- Why Sam Adams' church is selling a bit of its history to pay for its futureThe historic Old South Church in Boston, to which Sam Adams belonged, plans to sell a 1640 hymn book and Colonial Era silver to fund building repairs and expand its ministry.
Facebook Powerball frenzy: Purported winner offers to 'share' $1 millionThe second winner of the $588 million PowerBall lottery is not yet known publicly. But one man says he's the winner and will give someone who shares his Facebook photo $1 million. Is it a hoax?
For Amish, fastest-growing faith group in US, life is changingAs the Amish population in the US grows – forecast to hit 1 million by 2050 – the decline of farmland is forcing the community to spread to new areas and to evolve its agrarian culture.
Progress WatchGender pay gap is eroding, especially among younger women, US data showWomen are slowly making inroads in the gender pay gap. Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data for full-time workers show women earn 82 percent as much as men, up from 64 percent in 1980.
After Cyber Monday frenzy, Giving Tuesday taps the quiet impulse to giveGiving Tuesday, launched by New York's 92nd Street Y, the United Nations Foundation, and 2,000 corporate and nonprofit partners, aims to make giving as fixed a holiday feature as shopping.
Black Friday walkout: why Wal-Mart is focus of labor's struggleWal-Mart's low-cost recipe for success is under attack from the threatened Black Friday walkout as workers protest low wages and benefit cuts. The retailer is fighting back, accusing organized labor of making trouble.
Is the death of newspapers the end of good citizenship?The death of newspapers – by cutbacks, outright disappearance, or morphing into lean websites – means a reduction of watchdog reporting and less local information. Some say it has caused a drop in civic participation. Is it a blow to good citizenship?
A news future in feisty upstarts?A quintet of local news organizations trying to gain a digital foothold.- Chicago: Homicides already pass mark for 2011, defying trend in other US citiesWhile the murder rate in Chicago is half of what it was decades ago, it is rising even as homicides in other major US cities like New York and Los Angeles are falling.
Wisconsin spa killings: Shooting followed tragic script of domestic violenceThe events leading up to Radcliffe Haughton killing his wife, two other women, and himself at a Wisconsin spa followed a familiar path: threats, a restraining order, and police visits to their home.- Spike in assaults leads US violent crime rate to first increase since '93A 22 percent spike in the number of aggravated and simple assaults drove the violent crime rate in the US up 17 percent in 2011. But it is still vastly lower than it was two decades ago, experts note.
Progress WatchWhy teen drinking and driving has been cut in half in past 20 yearsNine out of 10 high-schoolers chose not to drink and drive in 2011, according to the CDC. Safety advocacy groups and government agencies have worked with youths and parents on the issue.- What's ahead for US as more Americans lose connection to religionYoung, white Americans are driving the trend, with as many as one-third saying they affiliate with no religion, a new survey says. It could affect notions of family and the shape of politics.
FocusObama's new program for young illegal immigrants: How is it going?More than 82,000 young illegal immigrants have applied for a work permit under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). But the November elections could be key to what happens next.- Poll: 57 percent of Millennials oppose racial preferences for college, hiringThe poll comes a week before the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of the use of race in admissions to the University of Texas at Austin.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: rebuilding a career – and battered reputationThe former California governor is on a media blitz to promote his memoirs, a second film career, and a new public policy institute with global aspirations. But first, he needs to win back a little respect.
Census report finds 'pulse in the urban core' of AmericaWith Hispanics and young whites leading the influx, US cities of 5 million or more residents saw the population of their inner cores increase 13 percent in the last decade, the Census reported.
Bronx zoo tiger attack: Man lives, big cat is forgivenSurvivors of tiger attacks often hold no animosity. As he lay injured from a tiger bite, entertainer Roy Horn whispered, 'Make sure no harm comes to Montecore.' Likewise, the tiger that mauled a man who jumped into his enclosure at the Bronx Zoo will not be euthanized.
