A California woman is facing criminal and civil charges in connection to a real estate scam that targeted black investors in three states, bilking hundreds of them out of $18 million, authorities said Wednesday.

A Thailand museum director who was indicted as part of a federal investigation into looted antiquities died Wednesday at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac, apparently following a heart attack.

Anne Arundel residents were adamant about what is missing from the proposed operating and capital budgets: more money for teachers, special education and new classrooms.

Ford Motor Co. is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its Model T with a challenge.

Mortgage lender IndyMac Bancorp Inc. said Monday it posted a loss in the first quarter - it's second consecutive quarterly loss - and it warned it would not return to profitability this year unless the slide in U.S. housing prices slows.

Broad damage in the mortgage industry was in full view Monday as a number of companies posted dismal first-quarter earnings, but there were also some hope that the worst of the housing crisis is over.

State Sen. Jack Scott of Pasadena has been named the next chancellor of California's community colleges.

A new federal law mandates that a study be conducted on a proposal to quadruple the size of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Prominent evangelicals urged Christian conservatives Wednesday to support "an expansion of our concerns beyond single-issue politics," angering some leaders on the religious right who have been closely allied with the Republican Party.