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The U.S. Senate is poised to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act that allows states to collect taxes from out-of-state merchants. Tax policy experts say this long-sought bill brings fairness to the tax system and much needed money to state and local governments. But small online sellers are incensed at what they see as a new tax burden.

Kids may not like the idea of extending the average six-hour school day, but some educators and politicians do. They are experimenting with ways to increase enrichment classes and make it affordable for school districts.

Communities hit by Hurricane Sandy are waiting for more help from Washington. There's been no agreement on how much air they can expect, but people in the storm zone are concerned that repairs and rebuilding will be delayed, leaving them vulnerable to future storms.

Following Superstorm Sandy hundreds of thousands of people on Long Island went weeks without power. Elected officials blamed the Long Island Power Authority — calling it in need of federal take over. Thursday night, executives for the utility finally answered questions from investigators who are preparing a report on how to overhaul the utility business in New York.

Wine research suggests that people who think they know about wine are excited about hard to pronounce names — so excited, in fact, that they're willing to pay more. Plus, they think it tastes better, too.

The Educational Testing Service admitted Tuesday that attempts at cheating on the SAT are not as uncommon as it had previously claimed. Last month, seven people were charged in a scheme that involved a former student who took the test on behalf of six others. ETS said at the time that cheating is rare, but it acknowledged Tuesday that it is aware of hundreds of instances in which impersonators attempted to take the test on behalf of someone else.

Prosecutors in New York are broadening their investigation into an SAT cheating ring at Great Neck North High School. They allege Sam Eshaghoff was paid thousands of dollars to impersonate and take the test for at least six high schoolers. Educational Testing Services, the company that makes the SAT, says this is a rare and isolated incident. But investigators and lawyers say this is the tip of the iceberg, more arrests are coming, and hard questions are being asked of ETS.

A controversial technique called a gang injunction "safety zone" has been getting the attention of police in at least eight states. The court order lists people police say are gang members, and bans them from meeting or even speaking with each other inside a defined geographic area.

As Hurricane Irene makes it way up the East Coast, it is expected to be felt on New York's Long Island. The area is home to three million people, and there aren't many bridges to get them to the mainland. The Nassau County executive says he'll make a decision about mandatory evacuations soon.

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities remains stubbornly high, even as rates have fallen for other workers. During the recession, employers combined job descriptions so they could do more with fewer workers. This trend squeezes out people with developmental disabilities who typically have a more limited set of job skills.