national

Most kids love Halloween, but many employers anticipate its arrival with a sense of dread.

The primary reason for workplace angst: How do you control employees who want to dress up in Halloween costumes for the workday?

Susan Kemp, senior labor law counsel for the Sacramento-based California Chamber of Commerce, says it's simple: Spell out the rules to the workers.

BANGOR, Maine - The next bellwether battle over same-sex marriage will be settled in Maine Tuesday by an expected 500,000 voters, about as many as cast ballots last year in Sacramento County when the nation's most-populous state, California, repealed same-sex marriage.

ELDORADO, Texas - A jury of seven men and five women was seated Wednesday and arguments begun in the child sexual assault trial of a polygamist sect member.

The U.S. Army, joining the push to turn Mojave Desert sunshine into electricity, plans to blanket as much as 21 square miles at Fort Irwin with solar mirrors and panels.

Six feet under hasn't prevented a select group of dead celebrities from earning more than six figures, evidenced by this year's Forbes list of "top-earning dead celebrities."

"The Lucky 13"

1. Yves Saint Laurent ($350 million)

2. Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein ($235 million)

3. Michael Jackson ($90 million)

4. Elvis Presley ($55 million)

5. J.R.R. Tolkien ($50 million)

6. Charles M. Schulz ($35 million)

7. John Lennon ($15 million)

8. Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) ($15 million)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The FBI has expanded its investigation of reported death threats against attorneys for the alleged ringleader in the torture slayings of a Knox County couple.

The News Sentinel newspaper was served Monday with a federal grand jury subpoena for information related to a comment posted in September on its Web site, knoxnews.com.

JAMESTOWN, Calif. - She traveled 1,800 miles to find it. She knew it was there. And by cracky, in just one morning of panning the creek bed, Janet Gilray had a handful of gold flecks in her hand.

"Woo-hoo!" she screamed. "Gas money!"

There's a 160-year-old reason California is called the Golden State, and people like Gilray are making that reason fresh again.

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SAN ANGELO, Texas - They went in looking for a teenage girl in distress, but found out she didn't exist.

They came out of the polygamist sect's sprawling compound near Eldorado, Texas with truckloads of documents, family albums, religious records, photographs, computers, digital files -- and more than 400 children.

Got a tweet to spare? It could help the charity of your choice.

A week ago, a record number of status updates on Twitter and Facebook using the phrase "#BeatCancer" helped raise $70,000 for four non-profit cancer organizations.