From the Wire

10 Things to Know for WednesdayYour daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about today.
Heavy Price: Medicare Overpaying for Back BracesYou can find it on the Internet for $250 or less. But if Medicare is paying, a standard-issue brace for back patients costs more than $900.
Obama Social Security Offer at Odds with Top DemsPresident Barack Obama's offer to slow the growth of Social Security benefits would force fellow Democrats in Congress to abandon promises to shield the massive retirement and disability program from cuts as part of negotiations to avoid the year-end fiscal …
Grief Mixes with Impatience in Shattered NewtownMourners overlapped at back-to-back services as funerals began in earnest in a Connecticut town that lost 20 of its children and seven adults to a gunman, with emotions and tempers in tatters amid a global crush of media attention to …
Cliff Talks Hit a Lull with Boehner's 'Plan B'Just two weeks from an economy-threatening deadline, fiscal cliff talks hit a lull Tuesday as House Speaker John Boehner announced that Republicans would also march ahead with their own tax plan on a separate track from the one he's been …
Bryant Sets Special Election for Harden's SeatVoters will select a successor to the late Sen. Alice Harden on Feb. 5.
Source of Persistent Gulf Sheen Remains a MysteryUnderwater inspections at the site of BP's Deepwater Horizon rig disaster have failed to identify the source of a persistent sheen on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, officials said Tuesday.
Judge Upholds Power Plant CertificateMississippi Power Co.'s $2.8 billion Kemper County coal-fired plant is one step closer to legal clearance after a judge denied a Sierra Club challenge to the plant's license.
Gun Rights Supporters Conflicted About Next Steps To Avoid Future TragediesKITTERY, Maine (AP) — In a region where gun ownership is a cherished right, holiday shoppers snake through rows of shotguns, pistols and semi-automatic assault rifles at the Kittery Trading Post. The school massacre in Connecticut — and potential changes …
Miss. Mayor Indicted Related to Use of Tax MoneyA north Mississippi mayor accused of misusing taxpayer money was indicted Tuesday on one count each of embezzlement, false pretense and making fraudulent statements.
Equity Firm Cerberus Wants to Sell 'Bushmaster' Rifle Manufacturing CompanyThe company that makes one of the weapons used to kill elementary school children in Connecticut is being put up for sale by its owner, which called Friday's tragedy a "watershed event" in the debate over gun control.
Obama To Actively Support Assault Weapons Ban, Close Gun Show LoopholeWASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama is "actively supportive" of efforts on Capitol Hill to reinstate an assault weapons ban.
Daniel InouyeOn Dec. 7, 1941, high school senior Daniel Inouye knew he and other Japanese-Americans would face trouble when he saw Japanese dive bombers, torpedo planes and fighters on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor and other Oahu military bases.
10 Things to Know for TuesdayYour daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about today.
Classes Resuming in Newtown, Minus Sandy HookWith security stepped up and families still on edge in Newtown, students began returning to school Tuesday for the first time since last week's massacre, bringing a return of familiar routines—at least, for some—to a grief-stricken town as it buries …