The light at the end of the recession tunnel is distant and dim for the nation's cities, according to a survey by the National League of Cities. While optimistic federal officials hint at an economic turnaround, city finance officers say the picture remains bleak for city governments. This is chiefly because a top source of municipal income -- property tax revenue -- tends to lag behind changes in the market. Because cities typically phase in property tax assessments, the full ...

Roger Federer began his defense of the U.S. Open title with a routine straight sets victory over American wildcard Devin Britton at Flushing Meadows on Monday. The world number one beat the 18-year-old NCAA champion 6-1 6-3 7-5 in an entertaining first round match on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court. It extends his remarkable winning streak at the U.S. Open to 35 matches as he bids to win a sixth consecutive title at the hardcourt grand slam. Federer breezed through ...

If Best Buy had a big sale on Blu-ray discs, would you go out and buy a Blu-ray player? The energy markets are kind of like that — natural gas is really cheap, for now, but does that does mean we should build infrastructure for a natural gas-fueled economy? Bargains only last so long, even in this recession. Sorry, T. Boone Pickens. To delve deeper, let's examine why gas prices have deflated so much: Natural gas prices and oil prices are no longer bedfellows ...

While Hurricane Bill looked less organized early Friday, a tropical storm warning remains in effect for Bermuda. Tropical storm conditions, including winds of at least 39 mph (63 kph), are expected on the island within 24 hours. A hurricane watch was also in effect, meaning hurricane conditions, including winds of at least 74 mph (119 kph), are possible within 36 hours. As of 5 a.m. ET Friday, Bill's center was about 425 miles (680 kilometers) south of Bermuda, and about ...

You wanted to believe her. She made you believe. She was good like that. Marion Jones, TIME cover girl, winner of five medals — three gold — at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and now an admitted steroid user, sat in a sweltering press tent at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials in Sacramento, and put on an Oscar-worthy show. All week during those trials, she had refused to acknowledge the press, and thus her fans, that ...

A warning was issued overnight for a potential tropical storm that may hit the Florida-Alabama border Sunday. It formed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm warning means that weather conditions will deteriorate in the next 24 hours. The system, still a tropical depression, was about 125 miles south-southeast of Apalachicola, Florida, at 8 a.m. ET, according to the center. It was expected to reach tropical storm strength by Sunday afternoon. ...

The world's population is forecast to hit 7 billion next year, the vast majority of its growth coming in developing and, in many cases, the poorest nations, a report released Wednesday said. A staggering 97 percent of global growth over the next 40 years will happen in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the Population Reference Bureau's 2009 World Population Data Sheet. "The great bulk of today's 1.2 billion youth -- nearly 90 percent -- are in ...

Typhoon Morakot bore down on Taiwan Friday, packing strong winds and threatening to soak the entire island upon landfall Friday evening or later, depending on the speed of the system, CNN meteorologist Jennifer Delgado said. The typhoon is expected to reach land between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday (10 a.m. and 12 p.m. GMT), according to Delgado. The typhoon will dump about 40 to 50 inches (1 to 1.27 meters) of rain in the area, she added. As of ...

A suspected pedophile surrendered to police after German law enforcement published clips from videos of child pornography allegedly showing the man. Taiwanese Premier Liu Chao-shiuan examined the island's emergency operation center and asked all personnel to stay on high alert over the next day, when the typhoon is forecast to "affect all regions of Taiwan," according to Taiwan's Central News Agency. Government offices and schools island-wide will be closed Friday in preparation for the arrival of the medium-strength typhoon, CNA ...

Typhoon Morakot moved toward Taiwan Thursday, promising to bring heavy rain and high winds to the island and other areas over the next few days. Taiwanese Premier Liu Chao-shiuan examined the island's emergency operation center and asked all personnel to stay on high alert over the next day, when the typhoon is forecast to "affect all regions of Taiwan," according to Taiwan's Central News Agency. Government offices and schools island-wide will be closed Friday in preparation for the arrival of ...