LOS ANGELES – A pouch of diamonds left in a taxi could have gone a long way toward helping a Los Angeles cab driver achieve his dreams. But he didn’t keep the diamonds. He contacted the passenger who left them. It turns out they belonged to a New York jeweler, …

“DaySide” has a new look, as hosts Juliet Huddy and Mike Jerrick bring you the stories you won’t want to miss. Join us today for what promises to be a lively hour of informative fun! • Rescuers are scaling heaps of rubble to listen for survivors trapped in debris left …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Lowe’s Cos. (LOW), the nation’s second-largest home-improvement retailer, said Monday its third-quarter earnings rose nearly 26 percent, beating Wall Street’s expectations, as homeowners continued to spend money despite rising home heating and gasoline costs. Shares of Lowe’s soared more than 6 percent. The retailer posted earnings of …

WASHINGTON – New claims for U.S. unemployment benefits (search) declined last week as the labor market toll from hurricanes Katrina and Rita continued to wane, the Labor Department said on Thursday. First-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 323,000 in the week ended Oct. 29 from …

LOS ANGELES – Italian vocalist Laura Pausini (search), Spanish alternative singer Bebe (search) and Colombian rocker Juanes (search) won awards Thursday at a revamped Latin Grammys (search) being broadcast in Spanish for the first time. Pausini, 31, pulled off the night’s first upset, receiving the best female pop vocal album …

KABUL, Afghanistan – A U.S. soldier was killed Tuesday when a bomb exploded near a troop patrol in volatile eastern Afghanistan, while President Hamid Karzai said he expects terror attacks to continue in his country “for much more time to come.” The attack occurred a day after homicide bombers rammed …

PHILADELPHIA – Twenty-one billboards plugging rapper 50 Cent’s (search) movie “Get Rich or Die Tryin'” (search) are coming down amid opposition from community groups. The billboards show the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, holding a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other. “The message could …

WASHINGTON – U.S. retail sales fell a smaller-than-expected 0.1 percent in October on a dip in car purchases, government data showed on Tuesday, while sales grew robustly outside the auto showroom and gasoline station. Wall Street analysts had forecast retail sales to fall 0.7 percent in the month on weak …

WASHINGTON – The first big environmental showdown of the new Congress (search) is expected to come within weeks as the Senate plans to use a budget measure to try to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil development, hoping to sidestep strong Democratic opposition. Republican leaders have been stymied for …

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Christopher Pittman‘s (search) attorneys, who say the antidepressant Zoloft (search) caused the youth to shoot his grandparents in their sleep when he was 12, want Pittman to get either a new trial or his 30-year prison sentence reduced. Circuit Court Judge Danny Pieper was to consider those …