About one out of 150 individuals will be diagnosed with autism in their lifetime, making it a more common diagnosis than diabetes, AIDS and pediatric cancer combined. At the beginning of her discussion on the Development of the National Standards Project Friday in ISU's Professional Development Building, Susan Wilczynski, the executive director of the National Autism Center, said there are many claims about the cure for autism.… Post the First Comment

Studies conducted on laboratory rats found adverse effects on the rats when exposed to the chemical bisphenol A. Bisphenol A can be found in polycarbonate plastics. Some products that are associated with polycarbonate plastics are reusable water bottles and the lining in food cans.… Post the First Comment

The crunch felt by so many college students and their parents may be eased by the State of Illinois. Last Wednesday, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias announced that Bright Start, Illinois' tax-free savings plan, had been named one of the top five plans in the nation by Morningstar, Inc.… Post the First Comment

As many colleges, including ISU, have begun mailing their financial-aid award letters this month, students can still consider their options to obtain more monetary assistance for the upcoming school year. Although a House committee approved increasing the four-year undergraduate loan limit from $23,000 to $31,000, help is unlikely to come quick enough to impact those with decisions to make for next semester, according to a recent MSNBC report.… Post the First Comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan can speak to their families by Web camera and fight insurgents using sophisticated electronic warfare. Yet when it comes to voting, most troops are stuck in the past. Communities in 13 states will send overseas troops presidential election ballots by e-mail this year, and districts in at least seven states will also let them return completed ballots over the Internet, according to data compiled by The Associated Press and the Overseas Vote Foundation.… Post the First Comment

SIERRA MADRE, Calif. (AP) - A wildfire that broke out in a popular hiking area blackened the steep slopes of the foothills near Pasadena and forced mandatory evacuations for 300 homes, authorities said Sunday. Two hundred homes around Sierra Madre were evacuated Saturday night and residents from 100 other properties were told to leave Sunday, Elisa Weaver of the Arcadia Fire Department said, as the wildfire continued to burn its way through dense brush.… Post the First Comment

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Chinese students clashed with anti-Beijing demonstrators at the Olympic torch relay Sunday in Seoul, throwing rocks and punches at the latest stop on the flame's troubled round-the-world journey. A North Korean defector tried to set himself on fire to halt the relay, where thousands of police guarded the flame from protesters blasting China's treatment of North Korean refugees.… Post the First Comment

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Suspected Taliban militants attacked a ceremony attended by the Afghan president on Sunday, unleashing automatic weapons fire that sent foreign dignitaries and senior members of the government fleeing for cover. Three people, including a lawmaker, were killed and eight were wounded.… Post the First Comment