As House health vote nears, opponents take to streets

WASHINGTON - With a historic House vote on a $1 trillion health care bill barely 48 hours away, battle lines are hardening as lobbying groups for seniors and doctors endorsed the legislation, while thousands of protesters swarmed Capitol Hill to oppose it.

GOP sweeps governor races in Virginia, New Jersey

WASHINGTON - Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year.

Gay marriage headed for defeat in Maine

PORTLAND, Maine - Maine voters on Tuesday appeared likely to overturn a state law allowing same-sex marriage, following a heated campaign that polarized the state and drew national attention.

Democrat wins narrowly in upstate New York House race

ALBANY, N.Y. - Democrat Bill Owens has captured the special election for a New York congressional seat that became a fight over the identity of the Republican Party.

Owens defeated Conservative Doug Hoffman and Republican Dierdre Scozzafava in the heavily Republican 23rd congressional District in rural northern New York. Scozzafava abruptly withdrew Saturday and supported Owens.

Local aid, education spared ax

WORCESTER - Gov. Deval Patrick said Thursday he plans to close the state's $600 million budget gap with a blend of cuts in state services and programs and up to 2,000 job cuts but none of the local aid and few of the school funding reductions many cities and towns warned would decimate local education and public safety.

UMass to host debate with candidates for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat

AMHERST - The University of Massachusetts will host a forum Nov. 8 for the candidates seeking the late Edward M. Kennedy's U.S. Senate seat.

Patrick says there's still no union deal on concessions in budget cuts

BOSTON (AP) - Gov. Deval Patrick says the state's labor unions still have not agreed to job-saving concessions as he prepares to announce how he plans to cut $600 million from the budget.