School’s in for the NFL: Who will make the grade?

The start of football season is like going back to school.

A lot is familiar, but a lot is unknown.

Old friends are back, but there are new people to meet and get to know. The routine is the same, but there are new things to learn. Everyone has a schedule, but no one knows what challenges will pop up along the way.

As Congress debates Iraq, Constitution has much to say

Of all the important issues facing the United States, the war in Iraq is now the most important of all, according to voter surveys around the country.

There is heated debate in every state about whether the U.S. should continue the increased military efforts ordered by President Bush, or whether it is time to start bringing America’s soldiers home.

Music download war takes aim at students & colleges

Music is all around us, but that doesn’t mean it’s free.

And many students are learning there can be a big price to pay if they download or share music files from the Internet without paying for them.

In the last two years, the music industry has been suing people who download music illegally from file-sharing networks.

Big buzz for ‘Kid Nation’ but how long will it last?

There’s never been anything like it on television.

The new reality TV show “Kid Nation” dropped 40 kids into an abandoned mining town in New Mexico and stepped back to see what kind of world they’d create.

The children, ages 8-15, were challenged to make their own rules, set up their own jobs, cook their food, haul their water and even clean the outhouses they used for bathrooms in the Old West setting.

For Hispanic Americans,celebration and change

Each September and October, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the achievements of Hispanic Americans and educates all Americans.

A great place to learn about Hispanic Americans is the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau scientifically collects information about Americans and makes regular reports to the nation’s leaders and the public.

Fall migrating birds face global warming worries

One of the most amazing stories in nature is the journey that birds make each year between their summer and winter homes.

Each fall, billions of birds travel thousands of miles to find warm habitats for winter, and in spring they turn around and fly back.

Some of the journeys of this migration are truly amazing: Arctic terns travel all the way from the North Pole to the South Pole each fall and a wading bird called a red knot flies all the way from Alaska to the western coast of Africa.

Energy prices hitting home for families across America

Americans use more energy than any other people in the world.

So they are always concerned about the cost of oil, gas and electricity.

That is particularly true each fall, as the nation gets ready for winter.

Families in states that face cold temperatures, snow and winter storms worry how much it will cost to keep their homes warm from now until next spring.

New dinosaur discovery a huge science breakthrough

In its final moments, the giant plant-eater toppled to the ground and was attacked by the flesh-eaters.

Eventually, its huge dinosaur body rolled — or was pushed — into a slow-moving river nearby, where it formed a kind of dam that caught leaves, bones, sticks and other debris.

That is particularly true each fall, as the nation gets ready for winter.

The dirt and leaves buried the body for millions of years, turning it into a gigantic, spectacular fossil.

How can California break deadly ‘‘Triangle of Fire’?

In the laboratory, scientists know just what it takes to create fire.

You need fuel—anything that will burn. You need heat—temperatures that can make things hot enough to burn. And you need oxygen—one of the gases in the air all around us.

In the last two weeks, all three were present in southern California and the area became a giant laboratory for fire.

In new NBA season, focus on a power from the past

Once upon a time, the Boston Celtics were simply the best team in the NBA.

From 1957 to 1969 they won 11 NBA championships in 13 years, including an incredible eight in a row.

More recently, the Celtics have been, well, terrible.

They have had losing seasons in three of the last four years (and 11 of the last 14) and in 2006-2007 posted the second-worst record in the league.

A month to celebrate Indian heritage & culture

Long before Europeans settled in the Americas, American Indians had established rich and diverse cultures.

These societies were as varied as the people who established them and as intricate as the environments in which they took root.

All were deep in traditions of family and community, strong in spirit, and rich in their respect for nature and the arts.

New lessons for world on dangers of oil spills

San Francisco Bay is halfway around the world from the Black Sea, but this week they could be next-door neighbors.

Nearly 7,000 miles apart, these major waterways are now battling a common enemy—oil spills threatening birds, fish, seals, crabs and beautiful coastal areas.

In a season of giving, many countries in need

When people choose to get involved, they can make things better for others.

Each year during the holiday season, students, families and community groups reach out to help people less fortunate than themselves.

They organize toy drives for children, for example, or make holiday meals for the elderly or provide coats and clothes for the homeless.

Toys to the world: The hot and not-so-hot for 2007

When it comes to toys, December is the Month of Lists.

Toymakers have lists of items they hope will be big sellers for the end-of-the-year holidays. Children have lists of toys they’d like to get for those holidays. And consumer groups have lists of toys they hope children WON’T be given for the holidays.

Can nations get it together to combat global warming?

The world is getting warmer.

It may not feel like it, in a month when winter is slamming much of the nation with snow, sleet and freezing rain.

But average temperatures are creeping up bit by bit, melting the ice caps at the North and South Poles, raising the level of oceans, causing droughts and shrinking lakes.

Use of drugs declines but key concerns remain

With the winter holidays, December is a month when parents, friends and relatives pay a lot of attention to kids.

December is also a month when government and community leaders pay attention to kids.

In particular, they pay attention to how many teens and pre-teens are using drugs, how many areteering clear and what drugs are most popular.

The wait is over: It’s time to start picking a president

The 2008 race for president has been going on for more than a year, and at last there will be some voting.

This week, both Democrats and Republicans will be closely watching the results of the Iowa caucuses, and next Tuesday the first primary election will be held in the state of New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire and Iowa results will give the first signs of which candidates may represent the major parties in the presidential election this fall.