New figures out Wednesday morning show the U.S. economy unexpectedly contracted during the last quarter of 2012.

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The former South Carolina governor hopes to make a comeback by winning a special election to his old House seat. He'll have to overcome a large field filled with current officeholders and quasi-celebrities such as Ted Turner's son and Stephen Colbert's sister

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Before penicillin was found to be effective against syphilis during World War II, sex brought with it the risk of syphilis, an disease that can cause blindness, dementia and paralysis. An economist argues that treatment was a key factor in the sexual revolution.

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The latest ADP National Employment Report seems to show a modest uptick in employment growth as 2013 began. But it comes after a surprisingly downbeat report about how the economy was doing as it ended 2012.

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The economy had not contracted in any quarter since the spring of 2009. Among the reasons why there wasn't growth in the last three months of 2012: steep cuts in defense spending.

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NBC News reports that the Equifax credit reporting agency has collected wage records on about one-third of American adults. Some has then been sold to "debt collectors, financial service companies and other entities." It's all legal, but is viewed by some as a huge breach of privacy.

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The national debate over gun laws has taken on urgency since last year's shootings at an elementary school in Connecticut and a movie theater in Colorado. Giffords, who was shot in January 2011, is adding her voice. At a Senate hearing, all sides made their cases.

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JUNEAU — Alaska’s senior senator has once again introduced legislation to rename Mount McKinley, Denali.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in an interview Tuesday that Denali might not be the name that people in the Midwest recognize “but it has long been the name in really the place that matters, which is the state that this incredible mountain sits.”

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JUNEAU — A co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee said Tuesday that he would like the state to finish capital projects before funding new ones.

Sen. Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage, told reporters that is his own goal and said he hasn’t spoken with the House Finance co-chair or Senate colleagues about it.

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KODIAK — For almost 60 years, snowy days like Monday have meant a line of snow-filled dump trucks spilling their load into Near Island Channel.

Thanks to orders from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, that winter scene is coming to an end — and the city of Kodiak is footing the bill.

On Thursday night, the Kodiak City Council voted unanimously to spend more than $67,000 to search for a lot suitable for a snow dump. This dump, not the Pacific Ocean, will be the ultimate resting place for snow scraped from city streets.

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JUNEAU — An Alaska House committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would allow the state Department of Motor Vehicles to issue short-term drivers licenses to temporary residents.

HB1, by Rep. Bob Lynn, R-Anchorage, would allow the department to issue licenses that expire as soon as a temporary resident’s authorization to live in the U.S. has finished.

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