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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | Serving New Braunfels and Comal County since 1852

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AP Top News at 10:07 a.m. EST

Toyota recalls 437,000 Priuses, hybrids globally

TOKYO (AP) - Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems - the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world's largest automaker. "I don't see Toyota as an infallible company that never makes mistakes," President Akio Toyoda said at a news conference Tuesday. "We will face up to the facts and correct the problem, putting customers' safety and convenience first."

US Army closes in on south Afghan town

NEAR LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (AP) - U.S. Army soldiers launched a preliminary operation Tuesday in support of a planned U.S.-Afghan attack on the largest Taliban-controlled town in southern Afghanistan. NATO and Afghan officials, meanwhile, urged militants holding Marjah, where an offensive is expected, to lay down their arms and warned civilians there to "keep your heads down."

Defiant Iran accelerates nuclear program

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran began enriching uranium to a higher level on Tuesday over the vociferous objections of the U.S. and its allies who fear the process could eventually be used to give the Islamic republic nuclear weapons. Even before the announcement U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he believed the U.N. should slap new sanctions on Iran in "weeks, not months," according to his spokesman Tuesday.

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Another major storm headed to snowy Mid-Atlantic

WASHINGTON (AP) - Snow blew across the Midwest on Tuesday on track for the hard-hit Mid-Atlantic region, where federal government offices were closed for a second day and utility workers struggled to restore power knocked out by a weekend blizzard. The storm hit the Midwest early, closing schools and greeting commuters with slick, slushy roads from Minneapolis and Chicago to Louisville, Ky. Powerful winds and snow were expected to hit Mid-Atlantic states by the afternoon, and could leave as much as 20 inches of new snow in Washington and 18 inches near Philadelphia - a Northeast travel hub - by Wednesday night.

GOP wary of pitfalls in Obama's health care summit
WASHINGTON (AP) - Even as Republicans publicly welcome President Barack Obama's call for a bipartisan confab on health care, some privately worry that he might be laying a trap to portray their ideas as flimsy. If so, a shaky showing by GOP leaders could possibly embolden congressional Democrats to make a final, aggressive push to overhaul the nation's health care system, with or without any Republican votes.

State Farm says it warned NHTSA on Toyota in 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's largest auto insurer said Tuesday it alerted federal safety regulators in late 2007 about a rise in reports of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the latest warning sign to emerge about the massive recall. State Farm insurance said it noticed an uptick in reports of unwanted acceleration in Toyotas from its large customer database and warned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in late 2007. NHTSA officials said the report was reviewed and the agency issued a recall later that month.

Astronauts inspect shuttle on way to space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Endeavour's astronauts inspected their ship early Tuesday for any launch damage as they raced toward a 200-mile-high rendezvous with the International Space Station. Barely a day after blasting into orbit, the space shuttle crew used a 100-foot, laser-tipped boom to check the thermal shielding on the wings and nose. A few pieces of foam insulation broke off the external fuel tank during Monday morning's launch, including a narrow 1-foot strip. But there was no indication anything hit the shuttle.

Stocks climb on hopes for Greece debt assistance
NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks surged Tuesday morning as hopes grow the European Union will help Greece with its growing debt burden. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed back above 10,000 after closing below that threshold Monday for the first time in three months.

Rapper Lil Wayne to be sentenced in NYC gun case

NEW YORK (AP) - Little more than a week ago, Lil Wayne was reinforcing his place in rap's pantheon with a commanding performance at the Grammy Awards ceremony. His latest album, "Rebirth," was officially released Feb. 2. Now Lil Wayne, one of music's biggest sellers and rap's hottest stars, is poised to spend as much as the next year in a jail cell instead of a spotlight.

Parade to give another jolt of Saints euphoria

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Another jolt of Saints euphoria is on tap for New Orleans Tuesday when the Super Bowl champs board floats borrowed from Mardi Gras krewes for a victory parade through the grateful city. The Carnival-flavored parade honoring the team's 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts is scheduled to start in the afternoon at their home turf, the Louisiana Superdome. It will include 12 marching bands and one float each from 10 krewes. Float builder Barry Kern said he believes it's the first time the groups - which celebrate Carnival season with separate parades - will combine floats in one procession.

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