By TIMOTHY MCNULTY, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Buying a stairway to seven will not come cheaply.

When "Cathy" debuted in 1976, she joined the funny pages with others like "Beetle Bailey," "Mary Worth" and "The Wizard of Id." When the comic strip by Cathy Guisewite ends its 34-year run in October, it will leave newspapers still populated by "Beetle Bailey," "Mary Worth" and "The Wizard of Id."

PITTSBURGH - A judge denied a man's petition to change his name to Boomer the Dog, saying it would cause confusion and have unintended consequences, possibly "putting the public welfare at risk."

PITTSBURGH - Preparing for his day in court, Gary Guy Mathews took off his red dog collar and left his squeaky toy at home. It is now up to a judge whether he will wake up one day as Boomer the Dog and find his furry dreams come true.

Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha -- under fire for steering controversial federal money to his district -- has a Navy veteran with a Harvard degree lining up to challenge him for the Democratic nomination next year.

It looks at first blush like another knock on budget-strapped charities and nonprofits: President Obama's budget plan would cut the tax-deduction rate for high-income Americans, reducing one of the incentives for giving to the arts, education, health care, religious groups and human-service agencies.

With childhood autism cases skyrocketing and no cure in sight, doctors at the Children's Institute in Pittsburgh are planning on a Hail Mary pass approach to the mysterious disorder -- housing young patients for weeks at a time in a pollutant-free "clean room," in an attempt to detoxify their bodies.

INDIANA, Pa. -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton fought back against calls to drop out of the presidential race by comparing herself to Rocky Balboa. Ask Rep. Ron Paul, who keeps running for the Republican nod, what fictional figure he is like and he can't come up with an answer.