MORGANTOWN, West Virginia – Environmental activists gained more momentum this year than in the past decade against the destructive form of strip mining known as mountaintop removal, though they have yet to mobilize the millions of supporters they want. The activists have harnessed the power of the Web, social networking …

ST. LOUIS – ST. LOUIS (AP) — An obese eighth-grader’s sudden death during a football conditioning lap has revived discussion about whether testing children’s hearts before they engage in sports or strenuous activity is necessary. Anthony Troupe Jr. collapsed last week on a suburban St. Louis football field before he …

SEATTLE – An experimental treatment that takes an entirely new approach to fighting prostate cancer extended survival in a late-stage study, its maker announced Tuesday. Seattle-based Dendreon Corp. said that its Provenge cancer vaccine improved overall survival when compared to a dummy treatment in a study of 512 men with …

NEW YORK – Three milligrams of melatonin at bedtime can effectively treat sleep problems in children with autistic spectrum disorder, fragile X syndrome, or both, according to a study reported in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. “Melatonin can be considered a safe and effective pharmacologic …

It feels like the movie, ‘Groundhog Day’ (search) — only the stakes are much higher, and a woman’s life hangs in the balance. As I write this, lawyers for Terri Schiavo’s parents have asked for an emergency rehearing of their case before the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals …

DETROIT – General Electric Co. (GE) Tuesday said it will not withdraw a $2 billion loan facility from General Motors Corp. (GM) due to cuts in the automaker’s debt ratings, but it will exit the business for strategic reasons. Analysts said the news steadied trading in the stock and bonds …

NEW YORK – Hang on, Snoopy. A mixed poodle who was caught running along the Major Deegan Expressway (search) during Thursday night’s rush hour underwent X-rays to make sure he hadn’t suffered any serious injuries from his escapades, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said. Aside …

WASHINGTON – The Senate voted Thursday to overturn the Bush administration’s decision to allow Canadian cattle into the country nearly two years after they were banned because of mad cow disease (search). The White House said President Bush would veto the measure if it ever reached his desk, warning that …

NEW YORK – SunGard Data Systems Inc. (SDS), a financial services technology company, on Monday said it is in talks to sell the company to an unnamed buyer, sending its shares up as much as 24 percent. One source said the unnamed buyer was a private equity consortium led by …

BEIRUT, Lebanon – The presidents of Lebanon and Syria said Monday that Syrian troops would redeploy to eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley (search) by the end of March, fulfilling an obligation Syria made in the 1989 Taif Accord. Lebanese officials said the withdrawal would begin as soon as Presidents Emile Lahoud …