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WASHINGTON - The 124,000 remains of unidentified Native Americans now resting in the care of museums and federal agencies across the country are closer to being returned to Indian tribes, who have long sought repatriation of the bones and other relics of their ancestors.

JACMEL, Haiti - Throughout the day residents of a small tent encampment on the city square are moved to spontaneous dancing. Children and adults break out of their languid step to shimmy across its shade-less expanse, bare feet racing to catch up with the beat comeemanating from a weathered tent on the edge of the square.

SAN FRANCISCO - There are plenty of undesirable things in San Francisco's sewers. But one, in particular, has grabbed the attention of city officials: FOG.

Not to be confused with the city's weather element, this FOG is a sewer-industry acronym for fats, oils and grease.

The stuff clogs sewer pipes, produces a nose-holding stench, and attracts rats and roaches.

PAINTED-CHICKENS (Schackner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) -- PITTSBURGH: Police have been assigned to investigate the case of the spray-painted chickens.250.

PITTSBURGH - A Carnegie Mellon University police detective has been assigned to help investigate the discovery on campus of nine malnourished farm chickens, some apparently spray-painted, the school says.

LAS VEGAS - After two years of economic decline, the gross metropolitan product of Las Vegas, which measures Southern Nevada's total output of goods and services, grew slightly in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution.

The quarter also brought a substantial reduction in the foreclosure rate, although Nevada still leads the nation.

Rick Jirsa just wanted to warn his family and close friends in California that a large earthquake might be on the horizon. But the e-mail he sent them Feb. 25 shook things up more than any of the tremors that triggered the message in the first place.

LONDON - At first glance, the many British-based Internet sites selling a substance called mephedrone look innocuous.

"Give your plant the food it deserves," says one. Another promises that it will "transform your garden."

Yet another says: "Flower Power Mephedrone plant food is the highest grade specialist food available on the market today with a purity of 99.7 percent+."

SAN FRANCISCO - With their pregnant mother screaming in pain, two young California children calmly called their father and then called 911. They delivered a baby brother.

Faith and Jabari Sanders are only 11 and 9 years old. They thought it was cool.

SAN FRANCISCO - Three-term Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California is in her toughest re-election campaign ever, finding herself in a virtual tie with two of her possible Republican opponents while her disapproval rating is rising, according to a just-released Field Poll released today.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week that it will designate 1.6 million acres in California as critical habitat for the endangered red-legged frog.