 Thrift shops thrive amid downturn
 Associated Press
Forget about the outdated notion of thrift shops as the refuge of the working poor, the down and out or the vintage fashion hipster. In these troubled times, the powerful lure of a secondhand retail bargain is attracting a whole new breed of customer.
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Energy Department warns of higher heating costs
WASHINGTON, 5:38 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Although global oil prices have plummeted, the cost of heating your home this winter will be a lot more expensive, especially for households that depend on fuel oil, the Energy Department predicted Tuesday.
Households that use fuel oil can expect to spend an average of $2,388 – or $449 more than last year – for the October-April heating season. Users of natural gas will pay less than half that, $1,010 on average, still $155 more than last year.
More National News
GREENVILLE, S.C., 10:40 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
300 suspected illegal immigrants caught in SC raid: Federal agents detained more than 300 suspected illegal immigrants Tuesday in a raid at a chicken processing plant that has been under investigation for months.
NEW ORLEANS, 10:25 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
No charges for most Tulane frat members: Prosecutors are not pursuing criminal charges against seven Tulane University fraternity members accused of burning pledges with boiling water and pepper spray during an initiation.
PITTSBURGH, 10:50 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Police: Pa. teen plotted to bomb sleeping family: A suburban Pittsburgh teenager is accused of trying to kill his sleeping family by placing homemade chlorine bombs in their beds.
BOSTON, 9:53 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Battle over use of Lizzie Borden name settled: Two Massachusetts businesses battling over the use of the infamous “Lizzie Borden” name have settled out of court.
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn., 9:44 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Police: 10-year-old driver flips van in Tenn.: A 10-year-old was driving up to 90 mph when he crashed a van carrying a man who told police he had drank at least 15 beers and a woman who was trying to swallow as many pills as she could when deputies arrived at the scene, Tennessee authorities said Tuesday.
WASHINGTON, 10:09 a.m. Oct. 7 (REUTERS)
U.S. judge orders Chinese Muslims at Guantanamo freed: A federal judge Tuesday, in a rebuke to the Bush administration, ordered the release in the United States of 17 Chinese Muslims who have been held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay.
WASHINGTON, 10:16 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Safety officers not on duty when bus entered U.S.: No Texas or U.S. motor safety officers were on duty when an unsafe bus crossed the border hoursng on the crash began Tuesday and was to continue through Wednesday.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, 6:38 p.m. Oct. 6 (REUTERS)
Palin's husband, aides to testify at inquiry: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's husband and seven aides will answer questions from a legislative inquiry into abuse-of-power allegations against the U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate, state and campaign officials said Monday.
HOUSTON, 8:55 p.m. Oct. 6 (AP)
Woman to return to prison in human smuggling case: A woman who spent nearly three years in prison for her role in the nation's deadliest human smuggling attempt will return to prison for up to an additional four years, a judge ruled.
PHILADELPHIA, 7:51 p.m. Oct. 6 (AP)
Philly won't enforce tour guide testing – for now: Philadelphia's plan to test and license tour guides is on hold. Lawyers for three tour guides who challenged the plan say a federal judge Monday temporarily blocked the city from enforcing the testing law. It was scheduled to take effect next Monday.
WEST CHESTER, Ohio, 6:54 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Bacon, not bomb, leads to evacuation of office: The office of an Ohio congressman who has fought against pork barrel spending was evacuated over a suspicious package that turned out to be full of bacon.
LOUISVILLE, Ky., 6:37 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Police say Kentucky woman kills self, daughters: Police were trying to determine Tuesday why a Louisville woman apparently stabbed her two school-age daughters to death and then shot herself.
SMITHS GROVE, Ky., 4:59 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Ky. deputy wanted in slaying captured in Iowa: Iowa authorities say they've captured a Kentucky sheriff's deputy accused of killing his ex-girlfriend.
AUSTIN, Texas, 1:52 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Lax Texas laws allow cozy lobbyist-lawmaker ties: Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick does business with a lobbyist, but can't say whom. Fellow Rep. Sid Miller finally disclosed his lobbyist dealings, but only after someone complained.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., 1:17 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
NJ: We'll become a world leader in wind power: New Jersey is powering up an ambitious plan to become a world leader in the use of wind-generated energy.
PHILADELPHIA, 12:51 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Philly archdiocese warns teens of sexual violence: In the wake of the priest-abuse crisis, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Philadelphia debuted a short film that urges teens to report sexual violence.
NEW YORK, 12:05 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
State news of national interest: A worker dismantling Shea Stadium, Chris McGonigle, gave a jar of dirt from the pitcher's mound to a woman who scattered her father's ashes there 12 years ago. McGonigle said he'd originally taken the dirt for himself, then realized it would mean more to Lisa Hasson and her son. Hasson called his unexpected kindness “the sweetest thing.”
CHEYENNE, Wyo., 9:32 p.m. Oct. 6 (AP)
Shepard autopsy among missing records in Wyo.: An autopsy report for slain University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard is among numerous autopsy records missing from the Albany County coroner's office, the coroner said.
WASHINGTON, 3:58 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Stevens unplugged: a defiant, salty health nut: Even when he thought no one was listening but his old friend Bill Allen, Sen. Ted Stevens repeatedly proclaimed his innocence in an Alaskan corruption investigation in between lectures on staying healthy and keeping out of prison on obstruction of justice charges.
WASHINGTON, 3:43 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Chinese Muslims considered for release inside U.S.: A small group of Chinese Muslims being held by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay want a federal judge to order their release into the United States.
12:17 a.m. Oct. 7 (AP)
Accidents involving buses between U.S., Mexico: A look at some accidents since 2002 in the United States involving bus companies that shuttle passengers between the U.S. and Mexico.
