A federal magistrate judge in Tacoma has thrown out key claims in a lawsuit filed against controversial filmmaker Michael Moore and his Academy Award-nominated documentary "Sicko," the first use of a state law that bars lawsuits targeting conduct associated with free speech and the First Amendment.

Contested judicial elections are a relative rarity in Maryland and Anne Arundel County. There are only 12 Circuit Court judges in the county, and the last two appointed to the bench were elected to full terms without a fight.

• The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut has announced that its anniversary ball on Nov. 5 will feature a "Century Hall" to highlight those businesses that have reached the centennial mark.

By MICHAEL KIRKLAND WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Wal-Mart Inc., one of the world's biggest corporations and one that many social critics love to hate for its purported impact on small-town America, is facing a legal nightmare -- what may turn out to be the largest class-action suit in U.S. history, one claiming systematic discrimination against women in promotion and pay. Wal-Mart - United ...