‘Dark Knight' wins People's Choice

"The Dark Knight" soared away with every trophy it was nominated for Wednesday at the People's Choice Awards, including favorite cast, superhero, action movie and on-screen matchup for Christian Bale's Batman and the late Heath Ledger's Joker.

Small retailers struggle in tough season

Like a lot of small retailers, Henry Burton depends heavily on the holiday season to ring up sales, and, like a lot of retailers, this past holiday season proved especially challenging.

Obama urges delay in digital TV transition
President-elect Barack Obama is urging Congress to postpone the Feb. 17 switch from analog to digital television broadcasting.

Report: Missile kills top al-Qaida men
A CIA strike in Pakistan killed two top al-Qaida terrorists long sought by the U.S., including the man believed to be behind a  deadly hotel bombing in Pakistan, U.S. officials told the Washington Post.

How many meerkats? London Zoo critter count

The annual count is a legal requirement for all British zoos, and it's also a useful tool for monitoring animal conservation efforts. Zookeepers say it makes sense to have a census.

Scoop: Stars saving red-carpet best for inaugural

Celebrities aren't very interested in what they will wear to upcoming awards shows — they're already looking ahead to the outfits they'll don for Barack Obama's inauguration.

Racism: What we say doesn't match what we do
Think you wouldn't tolerate a racist act? Think again, says a surprising experiment that exposed some college students to one and found indifference at best.

Deep freeze disrupts hardy Alaskans

Ted Johnson planned on using a set of logs to a build a cabin in Alaska's interior. Instead he'll burn some of them to stay warm.

'One Laptop Per Child' program cuts staff
In another sign of the growing financial strain on nonprofit groups, the One Laptop Per Child program is paring its staff in half.