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WASHINGTON - A stone fragment of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial became a cherished keepsake over the weekend for a family that lost a son, husband and father in Vietnam.

WASHINGTON - On the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision this past week to weigh whether the most odious of speech is protected by the Constitution, another test of offensive expression is percolating its way to the justices.

Martha McKenzie Carpenter flew off to war with a puppy in her lap, towing targets for other pilots to shoot at.

WASHINGTON - Its technical name is the "S visa," but in colloquial terms the "S" has come to stand for "snitch."

One of the least-known and most exclusive legal entrees to the United States, the S visa is used by law enforcement to bring foreigners with "critical information on criminal or terrorist organizations" to the U.S. to help in investigations or prosecutions.

WASHINGTON - Cash-strapped states around the country have cut more than $392 million from public health programs in the past year, while federal funding for public health has been flat for the past five years, according to a new analysis released Monday.

WASHINGTON - Usually, Volkswagen Beetles are happy cars, throwbacks to the days of peace and love.

This Bug is not one of those.

It's a grisly reminder of terrible acts that struck fear into the hearts of young women in the 1970s, especially those with long, dark hair parted down the middle.

WASHINGTON - Millions of stimulus dollars to weatherize Minnesota homes remained largely unspent at the end of 2009, leaving the state far from its projected goals for 2012, federal investigators reported this week.

WASHINGTON - Another glass ceiling has been broken, this time in the U.S. intelligence community, which, until now, has never had a woman in charge of a major agency. This past week, Letitia Long, deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was selected to be the next head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

WASHINGTON - Two years after he was gunned down in a California classroom, 15-year-old Larry King's tragic death could lead to a new federal law to protect gay and lesbian students from harassment.

WASHINGTON - Thousands of saltwater fishermen, some from as far away as Florida, Texas and the Pacific Coast, plan to rally outside the U.S. Capitol this week seeking reforms to federal policies they view as increasingly hostile to recreational fishing.