The Durango Herald

COLORADO SPRINGS - Former pastor Ted Haggard says his decision to hold prayer meetings in his Colorado Springs living room has attracted great interest from the news media. Full Story »

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS - The creators of TV's "South Park" may have killed Kenny in the show, but not too many trees died when they built their environmentally friendly mansion in western Colorado. Full Story »

CHICAGO - Ever since he was laid off in March, Frank Beil has been on the lookout. He keeps an eye out for cars moving slowly down the street or strangers walking along the sidewalk of his suburban Chicago neighborhood. He wonders about the times he answers the phone and the caller hangs up. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - The Army psychiatrist accused of the Fort Hood massacre is believed to have acted alone despite repeated communications - monitored by authorities - with a radical imam overseas, U.S. officials said Monday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Abortion opponents in the Senate are seeking tough restrictions in the health-care overhaul bill, a move that could roil a shaky Democratic effort to pass President Barack Obama's signature issue by year's end. Full Story »

ALBANY, N.Y. - Gov. David Paterson on Monday urged lawmakers to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, calling it "an issue that touches on the very core of our citizenship." Full Story »

NEW YORK - The Dow Jones industrial average stormed to its highest level in more than a year Monday as a falling dollar boosted prices for gold, oil and other commodities. Full Story »

8:41 a.m. An aggressive pit bull pinned a woman in a vehicle in the 8900 block of U.S. Highway 550. 9:25 a.m. Cows were in the road in the 7000 block of County Road 105, in the western part of La Plata County. Full Story »

Dale Baker, owner of Above All Roofing, finishes nailing shingles Monday afternoon at a home on Eighth Street near East Sixth Avenue. Baker said the slow economy forced him to let go of the help he had over the summer. “It’s slow this year … so I’m doing these myself,” he said. Full Story »

In separate letters to the director of the State Land Board, the La Plata County Board of County Commissioners and the Fort Lewis College Board of Trustees supported the college's efforts to start its own "western campus field station" at the Old Fort Lewis site in Hesperus, and opposed further action by the Land Board with a controversial nonprofit organization, the Elk Research Institute. Full Story »

Neighbors of Little Fishes, a project to haul 200,000 cubic yards of topsoil from 30 acres on the western bank of the Animas River, are suing La Plata County commissioners over their approval of the project. Full Story »

DENVER - Republican Josh Penry will exit the governor's race and might run for Congress against Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa, The Washington Post reported Monday. Full Story »

Military veterans - active and retired - their families and community members, 300 strong, gathered Monday at Santa Rita Park to rededicate the Blue Star Memorial Marker that pays tribute to members of the armed forces. Full Story »

One person was killed and another was injured in a fire Sunday night at the Piñon Heights condominiums in Durango. Authorities were trying to positively identify the victim before releasing a name. According to county records, the condo is owned by James "Dan" Middleton and Robert Middleton. Full Story »

Mark Esper, editor of the Silverton Standard & the Miner, spent Monday competing in what he dubbed "newspaper 'Survivor.'" The online face-off was The Washington Post "America's Next Pundit," in which Esper was one of 10 selected from 4,800 entrants to compete. Full Story »

DENVER (AP) ? Medical marijuana rules are headed to a Denver judge. Denver District Court Judge Larry Naves has scheduled a hearing Tuesday morning on state regulations limiting who can supply the drug to patients. Full Story »

One person was killed and another was injured in an apartment fire Sunday night at the Piñon Heights apartments in Durango. Authorities were trying to positively identify the victim before releasing names. Full Story »

FORT COLLINS ? An industry group says Colorado's alcohol tax revenues have increased 6 percent since Sunday liquor sales took effect last year. Full Story »

One person was sent to Mercy Regional Medical Center and one person was unaccounted for early Monday morning as firefighters worked an apartment fire that broke out about 11 p.m. Sunday at the Piñon Heights apartments in the 1200 block of Avenida del Sol. Full Story »

Randy Boyd gets down on the mandolin Sunday afternoon at the Irish Embassy Pub during a Celtic Jam session. The group meets every Sunday about 1 p.m. and anyone is free to join the jam session. Full Story »

BERLIN - With concerts and memorials today, Germans will celebrate the day the Berlin Wall came crashing down 20 years ago. On that cold night, they danced atop the wall, arms raised in victory, hands clasped in friendship and giddy hope. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Many college graduates are passing up industrial centers and former hot spots in the Southwest, which have been hit hard by the recession, in favor of life in urban, high-tech meccas. Their moves are fueling a resurgence of brainiacs in parts of California, North Carolina and Texas. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - The most common deals under the government's $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program, aimed at putting more fuel-efficient cars on the road, replaced old Ford or Chevrolet pickups with new ones that got only marginally better gas mileage, according to an analysis of new federal data by The Associated Press. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Corp. released misleading information about an investigation into problems with stuck gas pedals that led to a massive Toyota recall, the government said Wednesday, stressing the issue still is under review by federal safety regulators. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Rates for 30-year home loans dipped below 5 percent last week after rising for three straight weeks. The average rate fell to 4.98 percent from 5.03 percent a week earlier, mortgage company Freddie Mac said Thursday. Full Story »