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Groups urge big view of coal ports

GRANTS PASS — Environmental groups and a public health organization want the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider the big picture — from mining in Wyoming to air pollution in China — before allowing development of three Northwest ports to ship up to 100 million metric tons of coal a year to Asia.

Council skips abstaining vote

YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — Three members of a Michigan city council have abstained from voting on a measure that would have prevented them from abstaining on future votes.

Neighbors nix 'ghetto' tour

NEW YORK (AP) — A company that promised sightseer tours to the Bronx that included a New York City “ghetto” has stopped the bus rides under protest from an outraged neighborhood.

Big cities post strong growth

WASHINGTON (AP) — Urban renewal? New census estimates show that most of the nation’s largest cities further enhanced their allure last year, posting strong population growth for a second straight year. Big cities surpassed the rate of growth of their surrounding suburbs at an even faster clip, a sign of America’s continuing preference for urban living after the economic downturn quelled enthusiasm for less-crowded expanses.

Health law faces biggest challenge yet

DENVER — In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is asking a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill.

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Report: Kids need more PE

Institute urges an hour a day of exercise

WASHINGTON — Reading, writing, ‘rithmetic — and PE? The prestigious Institute of Medicine is recommending that schools provide opportunities for at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day for students and that PE be designated a core subject.

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Children pulled from tornado wreckage

Twister flattens Moore, Okla.

At least seven children died as a tornado ripped through Plaza Towers Elementary School, but many more were pulled from the wreckage to be reunited with their families.

Residents sought for homeless village

A village for homeless people modeled on one in Portland could be open this summer in Eugene. Organizers of Opportunity Village Eugene are accepting applications in hopes of finding a dozen homeless people and opening the village in July, The Register-Guard reported Monday.

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World and national news in brief

GREENWICH, Conn. (AP) — An anteater has given birth at a Connecticut conservation center, prompting officials there to wonder how the mother conceived.

Fire chief reprimanded for son’s prom ride

WEST NEWTON, Pa. (AP) — A volunteer fire chief'’s decision to have his son and the boy's date chauffeured to their high school prom in a fire truck has sparked a four-alarm controversy in their southwestern Pennsylvania borough.

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Deadly storms rage in Texas

Tornado season arrives late this year: With AP Video GRANBURY, Texas — A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. The violent spring storm scattered bodies, flattened homes and threw trailers onto cars.

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World and national news in brief

WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages rose this week but stayed near their historic lows. Cheaper mortgages have helped the economy by spurring more home-buying and refinancing.

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World and national news in brief

PARACHINAR, Pakistan (AP) — A new offensive by the Pakistani military against militants in a northwestern tribal area has displaced thousands of people in the past week, an official said Wednesday.

Health reforms penalize some Indians

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- When Liz DeRouen needs any kind of health care services, from diabetes counseling to a dental cleaning, she checks into a government-funded clinic in Northern California's wine country that covers all her medical needs.

Board weighs tougher drunk driving rules

Agency’s goal is zero deaths WASHINGTON — Federal accident investigators were weighing a recommendation Tuesday that states reduce their threshold for drunken driving from the current .08 blood alcohol content to .05, a standard that has been shown to substantially reduce highway deaths in other countries.

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