Oh, the light! The autumn light! Is there anything more glorious than an October day, awash in the sun's low-slung amber rays?

  So I've discovered the secret of all those ultra-short workouts that one segment of the fitness industry keeps trying to sell us.

  CHICAGO -- The country's leading pediatricians group is making its strongest push yet to have all children screened for autism twice by age 2, warning of symptoms such as babies who don't babble at 9 months and 1-year-olds who don't point to toys.

  HONG KONG - It's autumn in Hong Kong but the island's beaches are still crowded with sun worshippers desperate to catch the last rays of sunshine before winter.

  Teen pregnancy and birth rates have dropped sharply across the Washington region in the past decade, with the District cutting its numbers by more than half to historic lows.

  In a small gym off a winding Great Falls road one recent morning, a dozen self-described soccer moms and 40-somethings clad in stretchy workout wear waited eagerly for the command "Move your boombsey!"

  The four major U.S. professional sports leagues pitch future meetings with the DEA and other federal drug enforcement agencies.

  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A number of employers apparently are willing to let their workers walk. Steelcase Inc. says many companies have expressed interest in its newest product, which combines an office workstation with a treadmill so workers can burn calories while earning a paycheck.

  In June, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an unusual warning about a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle designed for children, calling it "defective and dangerous."

  WASHINGTON -- Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean on Saturday criticized Republicans in Congress for not supporting legislation to expand a popular children's health care program.

  Gov. Martin O'Malley and Democratic legislative leaders yesterday proposed providing health insurance to 100,000 poor uninsured adults in Maryland and subsidizing small businesses that offer coverage to their employees.

  After hours of partisan warfare and delay, the House easily approved a new version of legislation to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program yesterday, but the vote failed to get any more Republicans to override another promised veto from President Bush.

  For years, Joshua Sharfstein shuddered whenever he walked down a drugstore aisle lined with cough and cold products for babies and toddlers.

  Eating healthfully is one of the first parental challenges that expectant women face. Not only is it important to hit all the right nutritional notes, there's also the question of how much weight to gain. Eating for two is often misinterpreted as a license to overeat, but gaining too many pounds ...