Not too long ago, organic beauty supplies — shampoos and lotions — were perceived as products for unkempt hippies. But now they’re for well-coiffed, urbane hipsters, too. According to the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) trade group, sales of organic and natural “personal” products are soaring. They’re now the fastest growing …

LEESBURG, Va. – A children’s book about two male penguins that hatch a chick together has been pulled from school library shelves in Loudoun County, Virginia. Parents complained that the book has a gay agenda and have called for its removal. But supporters say the book’s removal is censorship. The …

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia briefly issued a tsunami alert on Thursday after a strong earthquake rocked the east of the country. The country’s geophysics agency said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.6, while the U.S. Geological Survey put the initial magnitude at 5.9. The quake struck 170 miles …

CHICAGO – A Chicago suburb is considering seceding from its county after board leaders approved a steep sales tax increase to meet budget needs. Palatine wants to explore seceding from Cook County to avoid the double-digit sales tax that could push business elsewhere. The board on Saturday approved the 1 …

ORLANDO, Fla. – Dozens of people were injured at a Wrestlemania event in Orlando when fireworks and cables landed on the crowd, authorities said. Fans packed the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium Sunday night for the event. A cable holding the fireworks collapsed at the end of the show, sending sparkles …

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba – Vice President Dick Cheney’s office may have leaked an incriminating video of a Canadian terror suspect facing a war-crimes trial, according to a claim filed by the suspect’s lawyers in Guantanamo Bay military court. Lawyers for Omar Khadr say the video, which apparently shows …

Weekdays at 3 p.m. in the East and high noon in the West! The news begins anew with “Studio B”… Nearly four months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, Shep is live in Mississippi with the latest on the road to recovery. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld makes a surprise …

Parents may not be helpless after all when it comes to influencing their children’s decisions about drugs and alcohol. A new study shows that peers play a major role in teen drug use, but parents also play a big part by influencing who their children hang out with as well …

WASHINGTON – The Senate blocked opening the nation’s largest untapped oil reserve in an Alaska wildlife refuge Wednesday, denying President Bush his top energy priority and delivering a victory to environmentalists who said drilling would threaten wildlife. It was a stinging defeat for Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, one of the …

HOUSTON – A tiny implantable device that aims to treat depression patients has started gaining some acceptance months after the federal government approved its use, the manufacturer said. The Vagus Nerve Stimulator delivers mild electrical pulses every 5 minutes to the vagus nerve, which carries information to parts of the …