Tuesday, August 19 NORTH ADAMS -- The Lowe's home-improvement chain has been selected "Energy Star Partner of the Year" numerous times, but plans for a proposed store on Curran Highway aren't "green" enough for Massachusetts. Secretary of Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles said Monday that an environmental impact report filed on behalf of Lowe's didn't pass the state's newly instated   Full Story

Tuesday, August 19 NORTH ADAMS -- As gasoline prices continue to drop in nearby towns, Mayor John Barrett III is calling on local stations to explain why their prices are 10 cents higher than those in Adams and Pittsfield. "It really shows how things are out of whack when you go to O'Connells in Cheshire, where gas is notoriously higher than other places, and it's $3.   Full Story

Tuesday, August 19 KERMIT, Texas (AP) -- Around the country, Americans are tightening their belts, scrapping vacation plans, eating more dinners at home, getting rid of their SUVs and watching "For Sale" signs linger on front lawns. But in oil-and-gas rich West Texas, folks are living large -- again.   Full Story

Monday, August 18 GORI, Georgia (AP) -- Russia's president promised to start withdrawing forces from positions in Georgia on Monday, but suggested they could stay in the breakaway region at the heart of the fighting that has reignited Cold War tensions. Top American officials said Washington would rethink its relationship with Moscow after its military drive deep into its much smaller   Full Story

Tuesday, August 19 BOSTON (AP) -- The state's highest court has ordered a new trial for a Pittsfield teenager convicted of fatally stabbing another teen during a fight, saying the prosecutor didn't give adequate reasons for excluding an African-American woman from the jury. The ruling came Monday in the case of Tyson Benoit, a black teenager who told police he stabbed a white teenager,   Full Story

Tuesday, August 19 BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) -- The lawyer for a 59-year-old Wilmington man charged with second-degree murder in a shooting Friday has been given a one-day delay to allow time for reviewing police affidavits in the case. David Boglioli, 59, is charged in the shooting death of George Riccitelli, 51.   Full Story