Twilight Fans Flock to Gloomy Town

Volunteers also recover books, Utah map at recycling site

(NEWSER) - Authorities are poring over papers belonging to Josh Powell that were found at a recycling center over the weekend, along with books and a map of Utah. Volunteers sifted through more than 10 tons of paper to find items that Powell had dropped off the day before blowing himself up along with his two sons, the AP reports. Among the papers is what the sheriff's office calls a "testament" with Powell's name on it, although authorities did not elaborate on what it contains. More»

Christine Gregoire's pen legalizes same-sex marriage

(AP) - Gov. Christine Gregoire handed gay rights advocates a major victory, signing into law a measure that legalizes same-sex marriage in Washington state, making it the seventh in the nation to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed. Gregoire signed the bill surrounded by gay rights supporters. "I'm proud our same-sex couples will no longer be treated as separate but equal," she said. More»

Max is also very popular, according to top 10 list

(NEWSER) - The Twilight saga has already— maybe —had an impact on popular baby names, and now … pet names? VetStreet.com reports that, most likely thanks to the vampire series, Bella was the top name for female dogs and cats last year. More from the list:

• Male dogs: The most popular name was Max, followed by Buddy, Charlie, Rocky, and Cooper.

Bill expected to be signed within days

(NEWSER) - A measure making Washington the seventh state to allow gay marriage has cleared its final legislative hurdle. The state House passed the bill— which cleared the state Senate last week —and it is now headed for the desk of Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire, who has promised to sign it, reports AP . The bill is set to take effect in June, but opponents plan to gather enough signatures before then to put it on hold pending a statewide referendum in November. More»

Frank Bruni on why Starbucks, Microsoft, and others are backing change

(NEWSER) - If you support gay marriage, maybe you should grab a latte at Starbucks sometime soon, because the company is under fire for its support of a same-sex marriage law in its native Washington state. One pastor even called the company " haters of God ," and demanded a boycott. So why has Starbucks taken such a controversial stand? For the same reason Microsoft, Amazon, and other corporate behemoths are backing same-sex marriage, reasons Frank Bruni of the New York Times : "It's the future." More»