Associated Press Stories
Fed again pledges to hold rates at record-lows
Washingon — With the recession apparently over, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday held a key interest rate at a record low and again pledged to keep it there for an "extended period" to foster the fragile economic recovery.
The Fed said economic activity has "continued to pick up" and that the housing market also has grown stronger, a key ingredient to a sustained recovery.
But Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues warned that rising joblessness and hard-to-get-credit for many people and companies could restrain the rebound in the months ahead.
Against that backdrop, the Fed kept the target range for its bank lending rate at zero to 0.25 percent. That means commercial banks' prime lending rate, used to peg rates on home equity loans, certain credit cards and other consumer loans, will stay at about 3.25 percent, the lowest in decades.
The Fed made no major changes to a program to help drive down mortgage rates and support the housing market. The central bank did say it will trim its purchases of debt from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to $175 billion, from $200 billion, because the supply of that debt has declined.
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Wildflowers: Rainfall expected to bring Texans an abundant array
Texas should have a colorful spring, with recent rains bringing an abundance of wildflowers and blooms already popping up, experts say.
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Soldier from San Benito killed in Iraq
A 20-year-old soldier from south Texas has been killed in Iraq.
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Roof collapses at Fort Worth brewing company
Storm damage is helping keep the beer cold after part of the roof at a Fort Worth brewery collapsed under heavy snow.
- Professor charged in Alabama campus shooting spree
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Texas Supreme Court will hear strip-club fee case
The legal dance over Texas' so-called "pole tax," a $5 entrance fee at strip clubs, is going before the state Supreme Court.
- Snow snarls traffic, forces flight delays in Texas
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Ex-President Clinton undergoes heart procedure
Former President Bill Clinton had two stents inserted in one of his heart arteries after being hospitalized with chest pains, an adviser said Thursday.
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Retail gasoline prices down 3 cents in Texas
Retail gasoline prices in Texas slipped for the fourth straight week to settle at $2.48 a gallon.
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Former Texas Rep. Charlie Wilson dies at 76
The late Rep. Charlie Wilson worked tenaciously to funnel millions of dollars in weapons to Afghan rebels who fought off the Soviet Union, only to watch Afghanistan plunge into chaos and eventually harbor al-Qaida terrorists.
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Snow slows travel across North Texas
Snow blanketed parts of Texas in a winter storm that slowed traffic and led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
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Wildflowers: Rainfall expected to bring Texans an abundant array
