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FEATURES
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VIRGINIA CITY REELING FROM POLITICAL TV AD CRUSH - As election day looms, the campaign ads are filling television airwaves around the country. The AP's Lee Powell profiles one not-so-big market, Roanoke, Va., that's setting national records for the volume of spots.
HOW A POLITICAL AD MAKES IT ON TELEVISION - Those political ads bombarding local TV airwaves do not land there without careful screening. The president and general manager of WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Va., breaks down how political spots make it to air and why he watches every one.
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NATIONAL
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OBAMA, ROMNEY FIGHT FOR VIRGINIA VOTERS - The two presidential candidates campaigned in the same state for the third straight day, this time in Virginia, a critical battleground. Mitt appeared near Washington, while President Barack Obama spoke in Virginia Beach.
ODD TUMOR CASE MAY HELP TAILOR CANCER CARE - A new way of growing tumors in labs may help researchers customize cancer care. 'Mini tumors' would undergo various drugs and chemotherapies before patients, perhaps saving them time and pain. One bizarre tumor case recently stabilized.
UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY - The 64th United Nations General Assembly continues today with various speeches, including Israel, Palestine, Libya, Iraq and China.
GATES' GOAL TO END POLIO - The AP sits down with Bill Gates, who will be speaking about his goal to end polio forever.
CROWD CONFRONTS IRANIAN DIPLOMAT - A group of protesters confronted Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast near the United Nations in New York on Wednesday. New York policemen escorted him to safety.
NFL REACHES TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH REFS - The NFL and the referees' union have reached a tentative contract agreement, ending an impasse that began in June when the league locked out the officials and used replacements instead.
NOVEMBER ELECTION CLOSE IN POLLS - If recent state polls are accurate, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's chances of winning enough electoral votes to defeat President Barack Obama appear to be narrowing. Both traversed Ohio on Wednesday, a state essential for Romney. (Sept. 26)
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REGIONAL
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NV, FIRST OF THREE SENATE DEBATES BETWEEN HELLER AND BERKELY - Republican Senator Dean Heller and Democratic Representative Shelley Berkley square off in their first of three scheduled debates in Nevada's U.S. Senate Race.
NC, KILLER WHO ESCAPED NC PRISON FARM RECAPTURED - James J. Ladd, a convicted killer who walked away from a North Carolina prison farm, has been recaptured after more than four days on the run. The 51-year-old is serving three life sentences for the 1980 robbery and shooting deaths of two men.
MA, GOVERNOR SAYS HE EXPECTS CHARGES IN LAB SCANDAL - Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick says he expects criminal charges will be brought in an investigation of misconduct by a state lab chemist who admitted faking drug sample results, forging signatures and skipping proper procedures.
IA, EARLY VOTING BEGINS TODAY - Republican Mitt Romney is struggling in swing-state Iowa as voters start casting early ballots in the presidential race. President Obama has a clear lead in Iowa opinion polls, helped by the fact that the state's economy is far more robust than other battleground states.
DC, NATIONAL ANTHEM IN SPANISH - Soloist Cara Rogers-Gonzalez from the group Coral Cantigas sings the National Anthem in Spanish in Washington.
AK, FIRST WAVE OF SOLDIERS RETURN FROM AFGHANISTAN - The first wave of Alaska-based soldiers are set to return home from Afghanistan. The Army says that about 300 soldiers are returning to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
CA, UC AGREES TO PAY $1M TO SETTLE PEPPER-SPRAY SUIT - The University of California has agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by demonstrators who were peppered-sprayed during an Occupy protest at UC Davis last fall, according to a preliminary settlement.
LA, LIL WAYNE OPENS SKATE PARK IN NEW ORLEANS - Lil Wayne returned to New Orleans, his hometown, for the opening of the Trukstop skate park in the Lower 9th Ward, one of the most devastated sections of the city after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. (Sept. 26)
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INTERNATIONAL
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PARIS MOTORSHOW - As the Paris Auto Show prepares to open, carmakers are hoping their latest designs will attract new buyers despite a steady decline in motor sales across Europe.
PROPOSAL TO RENT HITLER'S BIRTH HOUSE MET WITH OPPOSITION - Plans to convert the house where Adolf Hitler was born into a block of flats by the mayor of the town of Braunau, Austria have been met with opposition.
GREEK ECONOMY - After weeks of fruitless negotiation, the heads of the three parties in Greece's governing coalition finally reached a basic agreement on a new round of harsh austerity measures which are required in order for the country to continue getting vital rescue loans.
ROWLING'S FIRST FICTION FOR ADULTS GOES ON SALE - British bookstores opened their doors early for the UK launch of 'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling's long-anticipated first book for adults, 'The Casual Vacancy.'
BRITISH PM CAMERON ON LETTERMAN - British Prime Minister David Cameron's appearance on 'Late Show with David Letterman' is making waves back home, after Cameron struggled in Letterman's surprise British history quiz. Cameron also said that he can get along well with Republicans and Democrats.
ASSANGE: OBAMA EXPLOITING ARAB SPRING - Wikileaks founder Julian Assange accused President Barack Obama of exploiting the Arab uprisings for political purposes. Assange, who is hiding in an embassy in London, addressed a sideline meeting of the U.N. General Assembly via video conference.
JAMAICAN HELD IN SLAYING OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUPLE - A judge in St. Maarten ordered a Jamaican security guard be held as a suspect in the slaying of a South Carolina couple who were stabbed to death in their Caribbean vacation home.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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ONE DIRECTION TALK NEW SINGLE - 'Live While We're Young' is the first track off One Direction's second album, and the boys are happy to have it as a motto. The British pop group admit they're making the most of being young, successful and extremely popular.
JAY Z TALKS ABOUT THE AMERICAN DREAM - Jay Z talks about the 'American Dream' at the launch of his new video game, while Kris Humphries refuses to talk about Kanye.
JWOWW IS ENGAGED - MTV confirms 'Jersey Shore' cast member Jenni 'JWoww' Farley is engaged to her boyfriend Roger Matthews.
MONSEN PROMOTES HANDBAG LINE - Taylor Monsen traveled to Hong Kong to promote her new handbag line.
CUOCO SAYS SYNDICATION HELPED 'BIG BANG THEORY' - 'Big Bang Theory' star Kaley Cuoco talks about the show's popularity and her character's last name.
NO GIRLFRIEND ROLE FOR WASHINGTON ON 'SCANDAL' - Kerry Washington is excited to not play 'the wife' or 'the girlfriend' on TV's 'Scandal,' and talks about her upcoming movie with Jamie Foxx called 'Django Unchained.'
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AP LIFESTYLE (AP VIDEO-US INCLUDES AP LIFESTYLE STORIES)
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BEVERLY HILLS CUPCAKE ATM - In Beverly Hills, an ATM delivering just cupcakes is booming, with people queuing up to buy the sweet treats in the early hours of the morning. It's a sign that the cupcake trend is still very much alive and business remains sweet. Los Angeles-based Sprinkles is the first to have an ATM installed right outside of its flagship location.
CHINA CINEMA FOR THE BLIND - Saturday cinema going is a popular weekend treat around the globe. Now in Beijing, people who are blind can join in, guided by volunteers and celebrity commentators who describe the on-screen action for them.
UK COMPANY LEADS THE FIELD IN WATERPROOF TECHNOLOGY - Wet, damp and pouring rain weather is typical in Britain, so it's perhaps no surprise that a U.K. company is leading the field in waterproofing technology. Oxfordshire-based P2i have found a way to make even tissue paper stay dry when dunked in water. They treat items with water repellent. A layer of P2i 1,000 times thinner than a human hair is coated over devices.
88-YEAR-OLD AUSTRALIAN SKY DIVER - An 88-year-old Australian, Jim Brierly, is the oldest active skydiver in the world. But even his 3,263rd jump may not be his last. The World War II veteran has flung himself out of planes for decades, enlisting in a parachute training course as a boy in Egypt. Brierly says his time in service spurred a lifelong love of leaping from planes.
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AP Broadcast, Washington
