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Across Russia, pancakes and butter abound as the country marks a weeklong celebration before the start of Russian Orthodox Lent. Pagan in origin, Maslenitsa calls for plenty of eating, sledding, merrymaking — and even organized fistfights.

An obscure tax provision crafted for drug dealers is giving state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries a headache. Federal income tax rates for dispensaries in Colorado can soar to 70 percent because businesses can't claim certain deductions. It's a policy the industry is trying to change.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is the ultimate immigrant success story and, with an overall approval rating of about two-thirds of residents in her state, she's arguably the most popular Republican governor in the country. But that popularity doesn't always extend to Hispanics.

The right to choose the school you want your child to attend has been the subject of court battles and bitter political debates. Still, both President Obama and Mitt Romney have made school choice a cornerstone of their efforts to reform public education.

After the death of cyclist, the British star made the case for helmet laws. For that, he's been denounced in the U.K. by those who say such a law would make cycling less popular.

The sports world is brimming with talk about Lopez Lomong, the American runner who set a 2012 world best in the men's 5,000-meter race Sunday. Lomong ran the distance in 13 minutes and 11.63 seconds — but the race took a very unusual turn in its final laps.

With the national convention just three months away, state Democrats are reeling from a series of setbacks, including passage of a gay marriage ban and a sex scandal within the organization. But party leaders say they're committed to making the convention a success and keeping the state "blue" in November.

The former governor and two-term senator is vying for the Senate seat left open by retiring Democrat Ben Nelson. But he's been out of Nebraska for more than a decade, and Republicans now outnumber Democrats in the state by a wide margin.

As Colorado lawmakers debate rules regulating recreational marijuana use, one big question looms: how to charge taxes that will fund oversight of retail pot businesses. The tax requires a statewide vote. If it fails, some worry that underfunded enforcement will invite the feds to shut recreational pot down entirely.

How hard can it be to measure the health of a population? Oregon is finding out it's difficult to decide even what to track. But the state received almost $2 billion in federal funds to improve the health of its residents and to cut costs. The state faces substantial fines if it can't prove it has done the job.