Friday, September 5 NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street dove sharply lower Thursday, sending the Dow Jones industrials down over 300 points as retailers and the Labor Department added to the mountain of dismal economic news that has all but dashed investors' hopes for a late-year recovery. The nation's major retailers said shoppers curtailed spending last month due to higher gas and food   Full Story

Saturday, September 6 The just-concluded Republican National Convention made it apparent, as a McCain campaign official stated at the start, that the election would not be about issues but about personalities. With this in mind, here are a few observations on this theme: * Yes, John McCain offered heroic resistance to his brutal jailers after his capture during the Vietnam War.   Full Story

Saturday, September 6 BENNINGTON — Members of the local interfaith community organization want to raise consciousness of, and funds to alleviate, the critical needs some people are facing at a time when fuel and food costs have risen sharply. During this weekend, clergy and laypeople in the Greater Bennington Area Interfaith Council will be speaking to their congregations about local   Full Story

Saturday, September 6 SEARSBURG — An investigator said it was "miraculous" that nobody was injured when a tractor-trailer crashed on Route 9 Friday morning, spilling canned goods and other foods across the road. The driver of the tractor-trailer, Anthony Bennett, 41, of Fayetteville, N.C., was issued two citations as a result of the crash, said Vermont State Police Sgt.   Full Story

Saturday, September 6 WOODSTOCK — The Mount Anthony Union High School varsity football team pitched its second straight shutout to start the season on Friday, defeating the host Wasps of Woodstock by the final score of 49-0. "It was prett dominating," MAU head coach John Callahan said. "They had trouble stopping our option on the outside.   Full Story

Saturday, September 6 NEW YORK — Seventeen-year-old Alexis Corocan spends about $5 a month on clothes, accessories and eyes of various shapes and shades for her online persona on IMVU, a popular Internet hangout. For 29 cents, for example, she can buy a set of deep gray eyes framed by dark lashes.   Full Story