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In 1411, the count of Namur banned the use of stilts in the Belgian city. Over the past 600 years, the elevated footwear has been used for everything from putting up drywall to fishing and even jousting.

In fraud charges filed Friday, the agency accused six former top executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac of lying about the number of subprime loans on their books. The SEC said the executives knew what was happening and even encouraged the deception.

There was a political scramble in Maine after Tuesday's surprise retirement announcement from Olympia Snowe, one of the state's two Republican senators.

Sock monkeys, the red-mouthed, yarn-topped toys with a wide smile, were born during the Great Depression and handcrafted for the working class. Devotees of the little critters are still cherishing them at the annual festival dedicated to the Sock Monkey in Rockford, Ill.

Rick Santorum racked up two wins in the South, Newt Gingrich vowed to stay in the race until Tampa, and Mitt Romney failed to put doubts about his candidacy to rest.

Mormons around the world are getting this warning Sunday: Stop posthumous baptisms of "unauthorized groups, such as celebrities and Jewish Holocaust victims."

Kinsey Wilson, an NPR senior vice president and general manager of NPR Digital Media, is becoming executive vice president and chief content officer. Margaret Low Smith, who has been acting senior vice president for news, is continuing in that role.

The Supreme Court will take up the issue of racial preferences in college admissions next fall, and some fear the decision will leave universities with fewer options for increasing diversity on campus. Others say affirmative action is a crutch that is long past due for replacement.

American swimmer Ryan Lochte won the gold medal in the men's 400-meter individual medley Saturday, beating Michael Phelps and the rest of a talented field at the London 2012 Olympics.

Gymnast Aliya Mustafina of Russia has won the 2012 Olympic gold medal in the uneven bars, standing atop the podium in a highly competitive event that also featured American star Gabby Douglas, defending medalist He Kexin of China, and British favorite Beth Tweddle.