MONTGOMERY — Just two years after hitting a record low, the unemployment rate in Alabama climbed to 10.9 percent in October, the highest it has been in more than 25 years, state officials announced
Friday.

Oprah Winfrey was set to announce Friday that her powerhouse daytime television show, the foundation of a multibillion-dollar media empire with legions of fans, will end its run in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air. Winfrey planned to announce the final date for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” during a live broadcast, according to her production company, Harpo Productions Inc

More than 150 Christian leaders, most of them conservative evangelicals and traditionalist Roman Catholics, issued a joint declaration Friday reaffirming their opposition to abortion and gay marriage and pledging to protect religious freedoms. The 4,700-word document, called “The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience,“ sounds familiar themes from political and social debates.

The Adamsville City Council has promised to follow Alabama’s Open Meetings Act, and a case brought by Jefferson County District Attorney Brandon Falls has been dismissed. A lawsuit contended the council discussed issues June 25 at a closed meeting not allowed under the open meetings law and that it failed to give proper notice for a July 6 meeting.

First mammograms. Now — in an apparent coincidence — Pap smears. New guidelines by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say most women in their 20s can have a Pap smear every two years instead of annually to catch slow-growing cervical cancer.

Heidi Klum and her post-baby body led the parade at the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show, which returned to New York with some fresh faces after four years on the road. The lingerie retailer inducted five more women into its “Angel” ranks — a designation reserved for top models — in front of a packed house Thursday night at the Lexington Avenue Armory.

Congressional budget crunchers said Thurday the Democrats’ latest health care plan would hold down federal red ink for at least 20 years, an assessment that gave supporters hope as the Senate moved gingerly toward a historic debate

A gauge of future U.S. economic activity and a report on unemployment benefits signaled Thursday that the recovery likely will remain weak in the coming months

The government watchdog overseeing economic stimulus spending says the White House was too quick to take credit for saving or creating 640,000 jobs

President Barack Obama is now confirming what many have long suspected: He will miss his January deadline to close the Guantanamo prison — partly because he cannot persuade other nations to take the detainees

Showing impatience with Iranian foot-dragging, President Barack Obama said Thursday that the U.S. and its allies are discussing possible new penalties against Iran for defying international attempts to halt its contested nuclear program

FAA officials say failed computers that delayed flights across the country are now working again.

A pair of astronauts ventured out on the first spacewalk of their shuttle mission Thursday to tackle some antenna and cable work at the International Space Station.

When the U.S. House admonished Rep. Joe Wilson for shouting “You lie!“ at President Barack Obama during a health care speech to Congress sent many people scurrying to the Internet in search of a definition. Admonish, a verb dating to the 14th century meaning “to express warning or disapproval in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner,“ generated enough curiosity to crown it Word of the Year for 2009.

The plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers are savoring the taste of victory after a federal judge ruled that the corps caused the flooding of St. Bernard Parish and New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward.

Baseball plans to cut down on off days during the postseason next year. Commissioner Bud Selig said Wednesday he’s working on tightening up the 2010 playoff schedule so there will be fewer gaps between games.

Gov. Bob Riley has thanked the Alabama Baptist State Convention for supporting the governor’s efforts to stop electronic bingo operations in Alabama. The convention approved a resolution opposing electronic bingo and praising the governor for his efforts to stop the games.

A solar design and installation company says it has put in service the largest solar electric system of its kind in the state. The company said the Tennessee Valley Authority will contract with the Dentons to purchase their solar-generated electricity. TVA will pay them about twice the price that most Tennessee residents pay for their utility-generated power.

Space shuttle Atlantis closed in on the International Space Station on Wednesday for a high-flying linkup and supply drop.

A decline in factory production in October signals that consumers and businesses remain cautious in their spending, with the economic recovery likely to be sluggish

The Pentagon will investigate its procedures in light of the Fort Hood shooting rampage, looking at how all the military services keep a watch on potential problems in their ranks, officials said Tuesday.

When it comes to paying for a health care overhaul, Americans see just one way to go: Tax the rich

An Amtrak passenger train hit a car trying to cross the tracks near the South Carolina-Georgia state line and four people have been killed.

Space shuttle Atlantis’ astronauts scoured their ship Tuesday for any signs of launch damage while pursuing the International Space Station.

Sarah Palin said in an interview broadcast Tuesday that a 2012 presidential bid is “not on my radar,“ but wouldn’t rule out playing some role in the next presidential election. When asked whether she’d play a major role, the former Republican vice presidential candidate replied that “if people will have me, I will.“

Seven years after it began, the wrenching saga of Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapping is expected to move toward resolution Tuesday with an expected guilty plea from one of the two defendants charged in the case. Wanda Eileen Barzee is scheduled to appear in Utah’s U.S. District Court on Tuesday to enter the plea on charges of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor, her attorney Scott Williams.

The pace at which people fell behind on their mortgages slowed during the summer for the third consecutive quarter, but the overall delinquency rate hit another record, a new report shows. For the three months ended Sept. 30, 6.25 percent of U.S. mortgage loans were 60 or more days past due, according to credit reporting agency TransUnion. That’s up 58 percent from 3.96 percent a year ago.

When it comes to paying for a health care overhaul, Americans see just one way to go: Tax the rich. That finding from a new Associated Press poll will be welcome news for House Democrats, who proposed doing just that in their sweeping

For many women, getting a mammogram is already one of life’s more stressful experiences. Now, women in their 40s have the added anxiety of trying to figure out if they should even be getting one at all.

A missing 5-year-old whose mother was accused of offering her for sex was found dead off a heavily wooded road in a rural area Monday, ending a weeklong search, police said.