BATH, Maine (AP) -- Four former officers of the largest union at Bath Iron Works in Maine are suing the Machinists union for defamation and slander.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Twenty auto dealers in Minnesota have received preliminary calls from General Motors Co. saying their franchises will be reinstated as GM dealers.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- The Idaho cattle industry is raising a stink in hopes of restricting public access to the state's oversight of feedlot manure operations.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman has announced plans to cut $3.6 million from the budget and eliminate 21 jobs.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of J. Crew Group Inc. slipped Wednesday as an analyst cut her rating on the clothing retailer, saying the company's stock price seems to discount much of its good news.

HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) -- The driver of a Toyota Prius told police in suburban New York that the car accelerated on its own, then lurched down a driveway, across a road and into a stone wall.

NEW YORK (AP) -- You don't see much of Jerry Seinfeld on his own new NBC show, "The Marriage Ref," which he lets someone else host.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Democratic leaders have announced that they will ban the much-criticized practice of using annual spending bills to direct pet projects to for-profit companies that often return the favor with campaign contributions.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Consumer complaints to the Oregon attorney general's office jumped 13 percent last year, with phone companies leading the list for the fourth straight year, Attorney General John Kroger said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Post says more than two dozen people have canceled their subscriptions over a photo of two men kissing that ran on the front page.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- New state laws in New Mexico will stop discrimination against women in the pricing of medical insurance and limit how much health insurance companies spend on administrative costs.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Standard & Poor's Ratings Services on Wednesday reaffirmed a stable outlook for device maker St. Jude Medical and gave a high rating to the company's $450 million senior unsecured notes.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday the scene at President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address was "very troubling" and that the annual speech to Congress has "degenerated into a political pep rally."

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks edged higher Wednesday after the government said businesses trimmed their inventories again in January.

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's economic recovery remains fragile, Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned Wednesday, as he paved the way for a national election by announcing the government's budget would be published in two weeks.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- In a story March 2 about the arrest of three suspects in the virus infection of nearly 13 million computers, The Associated Press erroneously reported the spelling of the last name of a captain with Spain's Guardia Civil, which is investigating the case. The captain's correct name is Cesar Lorenzana, not Lorenza.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Businesses trimmed inventories at the wholesale level again in January even though sales rose for a 10th consecutive month. The dip in inventories underscored that businesses remain cautious about restocking their depleted shelves.

LONDON (AP) -- World stock markets rose modestly Wednesday, though trading was listless as investors looked for direction. The British pound continued to founder following weak industrial output figures.

MCLEAN, Va. (AP) -- Defense contractor Science Applications International Corp., or SAIC Inc., on Wednesday said it received a contract from the U.S. Navy to develop and enhance command and control software.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil prices edged up to near $82 a barrel Wednesday, as surging trade figures in China and a weaker dollar helped offset an inventory report providing mixed evidence about U.S. crude demand.