The Connecticut Supreme Court has joined California and Massachusetts in ruling that same-sex partners are entitled to all the benefits of traditional marriage, including the title. While the ruling expands the list of states where same-sex marriage is now legal, it is overshadowed by a ballot measure in California that seeks to stop gay nuptials in the country’s most populous state.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) will take part in Saturday's Philadelphia Flyers-New York Rangers game. Devotees of fish pedicures in Texas and the state of Washington will have to settle for more traditional foot-cleansing methods. And an Iowa appeals court finds that slow-pitch softball is a contact sport. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in.

State officials are slashing budgets, delaying bond sales and seeking federal help in the wake of a $700 billion bailout package that was supposed to ease borrowing.

As claims for benefits rise because of the economic downturn, many states are trying to figure out how to pay unemployed workers.

Moviegoers may be surprised to see big names like Kid Rock, 3 Doors Down and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in recruitment ads for the Army National Guard.

Residents of high-foreclosure neighborhoods are suffering additional pain from property taxes that are too high, according to a new report from a housing advocacy group.

Voting rights groups are suing Secretary of State Karen Handel on behalf of a man who they say is the victim of an effort to deny him the right to vote.

As the national economic meltdown takes its toll on local economies, some out-of-the-way states are enjoying unprecedented prosperity.

Voting rights groups on Thursday sued Secretary of State Karen Handel on behalf of a Cherokee County man who they said has been the victim of a methodical effort to deny him the right to vote.

As the economy takes a tumble, the state of Georgia reported a 76.3 percent increase in new unemployment claims in September, compared with a year earlier.

The U.S. Department of Justice is questioning 2 million requests it says were made by Georgia officials since last fall to check the Social Security numbers of newly registered voters, far more than any other state.

The state's deepening fiscal crisis has prompted Georgia technical college officials to merge 14 of the system's 33 schools.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing a request from Georgia to again reduce the amount of water flowing down the Chattahoochee River from Lake Lanier.

A proposal to give the state the power to take over troubled districts will move to the Legislature after the State Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to accept the Commission for School Board Excellence plan. The state board took no formal action for or against the proposal.

ATLANTA - Facing more than 500 complaints a year about giant alligators in suburban swimming pools, ditches, and culverts, South Carolina has joined seven other Southern states in an ambitious effort to recruit thousands of would-be gator wranglers to cull the toothy and well-armored brood.