At its Tuesday meeting, the Federal Reserve reaffirmed its pledge to keep interest rates low and opted to not take any new measures to bolster the economy, saying the economy has already been showing signs of “expanding moderately.” The economy has shown some improvement in employment and consumer spending in recent weeks. However, the Fed cautioned at Tuesday’s meeting that the “housing sector remains depressed.”

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The National Transportation Safety Board has called for a ban on all cell phone use while driving, even using hands-free devices like wireless headsets. The agency is urging states to adopt such a ban after recent investigations into distraction-related accidents have showed cell phones were a major contributor.

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Mortgage fraud continues to climb in the country as $1.3 billion in questionable loans surfaced in the third quarter, according to a mortgage fraud index by Mortgage Daily. Florida continues to have the most cases of mortgage fraud, according to the index.

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The number of homeless children in the country has increased 33 percent since 2007, and one in 45 children in the country are homeless — either living on the street or in a homeless shelter or doubling up with other families, according to a new report out by the National Center on Family Homelessness. About 1.6 million children are homeless in the country, according to the 2010 data.

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A Pittsburgh family is accusing their homeowner’s association of stealing a 150-pound cement religious symbol, a Virgin Mary statue, that was displayed just below the window of the couple’s condo.

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