HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- The mild winter that has given many Northern farmers a break from shoveling and a welcome chance to catch up on maintenance could lead to a tough spring as many pests that would normally freeze have not.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- Sprinkles, the Beverly Hills bakery that helped inspire the craze for sweet frosting in snack-size portions, will launch a cupcake dispensing machine at its flagship store.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration is offering some relief to homeowners who have government-backed mortgages.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- What does birth control really cost anyway?

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Police Department kept secret files on businesses owned by second- and third-generation Americans specifically because they were Muslims, according to newly obtained documents that spell out in the clearest terms yet that police were monitoring people based on religion.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. employers added 227,000 jobs in February to complete three of the best months of hiring since the recession ended. The unemployment rate was unchanged, largely because more people streamed into the work force.

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) -- Washington state opened a public auction online Thursday of its state-run liquor stores, beginning the process of privatizing a booze industry the state has tightly controlled since the end of Prohibition.

Forty-four-year-old Ramdeo Chankar Singh is at his wits' end. The former U.S. soldier, honorably discharged from the Army nine years ago, believes he is fully qualified to become a U.S. citizen, and has been trying to become one for almost a decade. But immigration officials are telling him he doesn't meet the eligibility requirements.

Natural gas prices fell sharply Thursday after spring-like weather blanketed much of the country, raising expectations that demand will remain weak. At the same time, supplies have stayed well above year-ago levels.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says marijuana should be legalized and treated like alcohol because the government's war on drugs has failed.