Stacie Freudenberg/Associated Press
Credit the recession for "staycations" and bringing us more game-night parties at home. But also give it a shout for spurring more first dates. Economic woes, it seems, unleash something practically primal in many of us who find ourselves without a partner: a hard-wired desire for companionship. read story
Breaking up is hard to do, but Wisconsin should say goodbye to GM forever. This is a bankrupt company that's been cutting jobs in Janesville for years with little regard for either the impact on working families or the state's dwindling tax base. read story
This year's Fourth of July is not quite as imposing as July 4, 1776. Nonetheless, it marks the middle of the year, and it's a frightening day for those who are jobless and those threatened with joblessness. read story
In a big break for online shoppers, Web retailers generally don't have to charge sales taxes in states where they lack a store or some other physical presence. Increasingly, states aching under the weight of the recession are seeking a way around that rule. read story
When the Sony Walkman went on sale 30 years ago, it was shown off by a skateboarder to illustrate how the portable cassette-tape player delivered music on-the-go -- a totally innovative idea back in 1979. Today, Sony Corp. is struggling to reinvent itself and win back its reputation as a pioneer of razzle-dazzle gadgetry once exemplified in the Walkman, which Wednesday had its 30th anniversary marked with a special display at Sony's corporate archives. read story
The pole building shed was hidden among the trees, behind the house where the Sawle family was raised, a couple of hundred yards up the hill from Hyde's Mill, one of the most pictured spots in southern Wisconsin. read story