NEW YORK — Celebrity chef Paula Deen on Wednesday pledged a portion of her earnings from a lucrative endorsement deal with a diabetes drugmaker to the nonprofit American Diabetes Association.

The queen of Southern cooking and author of numerous cookbooks disclosed Tuesday that she’s had Type 2 diabetes for three years while promoting high-fat, high-sugar recipes as usual on her Food Network TV shows. She also said Tuesday that she’d signed on as the face of a new diabetes health initiative sponsored by Novo Nordisk, the company that makes Victoza, a noninsulin injectable medication she now takes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The “golden years” may lose some luster for many baby boomers worried about the financial pressures that come with age.

Many of the nation’s 77 million boomers are worried about being able to pay their medical bills as they get older, a new poll finds. The concern is so deep that it outpaces worries about facing a major illness or disease, dying, or losing the ability to do favorite activities.

Another major concern among the boomers: losing their financial independence.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Arnold Schwarzenegger indicated in a court filing that he does not want to pay wife Maria Shriver spousal support or attorney fees as the couple ends their 25-year marriage.

The dispute may have little impact on the divorce, since the former Hollywood couple is expected to reach a confidential, out-of-court settlement.

Schwarzenegger’s filing Wednesday differs little from Shriver’s initial petition for divorce, which was filed on July 1. Both seek joint custody of their sons, ages 17 and 13.

Washington (CNN) – NBC is calling it a mulligan. During the Sunday broadcast of the final round of golf’s U.S. Open coverage the broadcast showed a taped vignette at the beginning of the show.

It featured children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance but omitted them saying the phrase “under God, indivisible.”

The video montage showed historic golf footage, patriotic imagery, and landmarks from the nation’s capital because this year’s tournament was taking place at Congressional Country club just outside Washington.

The rest of the children’s recitation of the pledge was presented in full.

On Sunday, social media began to buzz over the edit. The criticism came so fast NBC issued an on-air apology.

Full Story at NBC apologizes for cutting ‘Under God’ from Pledge of Allegiance – CNN Belief Blog – CNN.com Blogs

NBC apologizes for cutting ‘Under God’ from Pledge of Allegiance

Carrie Dann writes:With tens of thousands of public sector workers jamming the halls of the Wisconsin statehouse – and similar labor battles brewing in Ohio and Michigan – Republican governors and Americans around the country are contemplating the state of the unions.

The fracas in Madison has emphasized the divide between those who view unions favorably and those who don’t – a gulf that has also deepened as union membership has declined.

Per a new survey from the Pew Center for People and the Press, Americans’ positive perceptions of unions are languishing at the lowest levels in the last quarter century.

DALLAS — A Texas judge ordered a Dallas man released from prison Thursday, saying recent DNA tests showed he should not have been convicted of sexual assault 25 years ago.

State District Judge Gracie Lewis apologized to Larry Sims, 61, on behalf of the state of Texas.

“I know an apology will not repay you for the time you spent in jail, but I can free you today,” Lewis said.

If someone had told Victor Perez at the beginning of the year that he’d soon find fame because of a heroic act, he would have laughed. He couldn’t even find a job.

But the events of Oct. 5 were so unbelievable that the 30-year-old unemployed construction worker was left shaking and speechless.

“Never, ever in my wildest dreams would I think something like this would happen,” said Perez, who is credited with saving the life of an abducted 8-year-old girl. “I’m trying to make sense of all this hero stuff.”

Listen up, Detroit parents: If Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy gets her way, you may be serving time in the slammer if you skip your child’s parent-teacher conference.

According to this story in today’s Detroit News, Worthy is making the bold proposal to help call attention to the link between parental involvement and youth crime. Her plan would require parents to attend at least one conference per year or face three days in jail. Sound extreme?

(CNN) — A U.S. soldier who defused roadside bombs in Iraq wants credit for inspiring the main character in “The Hurt Locker,” a movie up for nine Oscars this weekend.

Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday claiming writer Mark Boal — a journalist embedded with his Army unit in Iraq — based the film’s main character on his life.

“They literally transposed his life in the film and then claimed it was a work of fiction,” said lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. “The only fiction was the claim it was a work of fiction.”

Without directly denying Sarver’s claim, the production company said it was “a fictional account of what brave men and women do on the battlefield.”

BOSTON – On many days, the metal detectors sit silent at the busiest courthouse in Maine.

People arriving for everything from child custody hearings to murder trials walk through the machines without a beep. The detectors are off because the court can’t pay for officers to run them.

With the recession prompting steep cuts to state and local budgets, courts around the country are facing the tough decision of whether to reduce court services or cut back on security. For many, it’s a disturbing choice in a post-9/11 world.