NEW YORK -- Stock prices careened lower today in Asia and Europe and gyrated wildly in the United States, extending a stampede of selling that began on Wall Street a day earlier and deepening a global financial crisis that has defied all efforts to stop it. (Today)

In the insult-added-to-injury department, the hard times have hit rock bottom: Dirt is dirt cheap no more. (Today)

In the insult-added-to-injury department, the hard times have hit rock bottom: Dirt is dirt cheap no more. (Today)

Left unsettled when the state Senate adjourned this week was the future of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, the independent watchdog agency that tracks the cost and quality of medical care offered by the state's hospitals and paid for by its insurers. (Today)

The General Assembly has approved legislation that will require all home improvement contractors and salespersons to register with the state Bureau of Consumer Protection. (Today)