WASHINGTON (AP) -- They call it the "Botax." The White House and Senate Democrats have turned to a proposal to tax breast implants, tummy tucks, wrinkle-smoothing injections and other procedures as they search for ways to pay for costly health care overhaul plans. Vanity was an easy target as lawmakers scraped for cash for the nearly $1 trillion plan to expand health care to millions of   Full Story

Alden Graves The state of Maine seems to have a fondness for naming towns after mills, at least in Stephen King’s vivid imagination. Chester’s Mill, the site of his new book, "Under the Dome"(Scribner, 1,088 pages), isn’t very far from Tarker’s Mill. Some of you may recall the trouble in Tarker’s Mill a while back.   Full Story

BENNINGTON -- Vermont is the sixth hungriest state in the union, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger. The study was completed in December 2008. The year before, Vermont was ranked 14th in the nation for the number of residents reporting "very low food security," said Marissa Parisi, the campaign’s executive director.   Full Story

BENNINGTON - Brandeis University Professor Anita Hill, who rose to national fame during the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is the newest trustee at Southern Vermont College. SVC President Karen Gross announced the appointment of Hill on Thursday. Hill is current a faculty member at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.   Full Story

WOODFORD -- They began this season just as they finished the last - as runners up. The Mount Anthony Union High School Nordic ski teams spent Thursday’s practice repeatedly bounding up a steep trail at Prospect Ski Area, each lap punctuated by gasps for breath and complaints of burning quads.   Full Story

CHICAGO (AP) -- "The Oprah Winfrey Show," an iconic broadcast that grew over two decades into a daytime television powerhouse and the foundation of a multibillion-dollar media empire, will end its run in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air, Winfrey’s production company said Thursday night. Winfrey plans to announce the final date for her show during a live broadcast on Friday, Harpo   Full Story