WELFARE: Some rules needed

A legislator in New York has proposed legislation to prevent the use of food stamps to buy lobster, cigarettes and other expensive items.

Health law off to a slow start Problems prompt low Obamacare sign-ups

WASHINGTON (AP) - Planting a paltry number on a national disappointment, the Obama administration revealed Wednesday that just 26,794 people enrolled for health insurance during the first, flawed month of operations for the federal "Obamacare" website.

Elk tags go on sale Monday

All capped elk zones, other than the Sawtooth Elk Zone, will go on sale at 9 a.m. July 10. Tags are first-come, first-serve and available at all Idaho Fish and Game license vendors, Fish and Game regional offices, at Gooutdoorsidaho.com on Fish and Game’s mobile app, or by calling (800) 554-8685.

BUILDING: Rip-off to the taxpayers

The new 17,000 sq. ft. building is set to break ground this month for $4,000,000 of your tax dollars (including land), in Post Falls.

Local lakes to be stocked with 43K fish

Over 43,000 catchable-size (10 to 12 inch) rainbow trout will be stocked in the Panhandle Region in April.

FDA approves first rapid, take home HIV test

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first over-the-counter HIV test, allowing Americans to test themselves for the virus that causes AIDS in the privacy of their homes.

Eating well for the working person

Do you experience an afternoon slump at work (or an all-day slump)? How we eat makes a big difference in how we feel and how we perform during the day.

Cyber Monday draws $1.74 billion

Holiday shopping battle begins

NEW YORK - From free shipping from Walmart to Sears stores open on Thanksgiving for the first time, the battle for holiday shoppers' dollars has begun in earnest.

At what cost?

Constantly changing online prices stump shoppers

NEW YORK - Online shopping has become as volatile as stock market trading. Wild, minute-by-minute price swings on everything from clothes to TVs have made it difficult for holiday shoppers to "buy low."

IDFG sales, hunter reports back online

People once again can buy Idaho hunting and fishing licenses and tags online, but they will have to establish a user name and password to get entrance into the system.

Hawaii targets waterfall trespassers

HAUULA, Hawaii - The managers of Hawaii's state parks are turning to social media to counter online photos and statements encouraging people to visit a waterfall where a landslide killed eight people more than 15 years ago.

'Spice' is far from nice

Synthetic version of pot popular, very addictive

COEUR d'ALENE - It's a hard drug with a barcode.

Fiscally fit due to Fido

U.S. trade group: Spending on pets at all-time high

Sales tax solution

The Coeur d'Alene bookstore manager smiled grimly when asked about business over the holidays.

Random acts of green

Remember the joy of finding a penny on the sidewalk when you were a kid? Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck! Such a simple find, free for the taking. I had the good fortune to feel that girlish glee again recently. On a hectic business trip to the big city, I stopped by a cafe for lunch, and as I was leaving, I noticed a book lying on top of a trash bin just outside the door. Hardbound, clean dust jacket, popular fiction. Was it lost? I picked it up with the notion that I'd take it inside to the cashier. But a small yellow sticker on the spine of the book caught my eye. The sticker read, "Traveling Book! Look inside..."

The right direction

Black Friday retail sales edge up only slightly

NEW YORK - Shoppers crowded stores on Black Friday but spent just a little more than last year on the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, according to data released Saturday by a research firm.

Applying for Obamacare

Process could be just as daunting as filing taxes. Associated Press reports

Want cheapskates to spend? Hawk gizmos that save

NEW YORK - How do you get penny pinchers to spend these days? Pitch products that promise to save them money.

An insight into Insight

DEAR DR. GOTT: Thank heavens for your Web site, since I can get a very important question out to you immediately without using snail mail. While watching the news last evening, I heard about a test kit I can purchase over the counter that will indicate a possible genetic predisposition to such medical problems as Parkinson's disease and heart trouble. I was informed the kit will cost up to $30, and once a saliva specimen is sent in to the laboratory, the testing will begin at an additional expense of up to $437.