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Mary and Lenny Buongiorno figured their photos were lost forever after Sandy flooded their Staten Island home. The waterlogged album was in a pile of roadside debris when bus driver Mike Valente spotted it. He spent five weeks meticulously cleaning and restoring the images on his computer. After presenting the new album to the overjoyed couple, he told the New York Post, "I'm all about memories."

Angered by an American law barring some Russian officials from entering the U.S., parliament members in Moscow have retaliated. Putin has now said he sees no reason not to sign the adoption ban. More than 60,000 Russian children have been adopted by Americans since 1992, the State Department says.

There were 350,000 first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week. That's the lowest level since March 2008. But because of the Christmas holiday, some states had to do more estimating than usual.

Many Americans appear to be worried about what will happen to the economy if the federal government goes over the so-called fiscal cliff, the Conference Board reports. But there's also good news: The housing sector continues to recover.

Children can easily become kinder and more helpful. And that behavior makes them more positive, more accepting and more popular with other children, a study of Canadian kids finds.

New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey is currently the only knuckleball pitcher in the major leagues. His memoir, Wherever I Wind Up, explains how his life — and career — have mimicked the unpredictable trajectory of the difficult pitch he throws game after game.

In the last election, the red states got redder and the blue ones bluer. That's true not only in presidential voting, but at the state level, where half the legislative chambers are now dominated by supermajorities of one party or the other. The result is that blue and red states are moving further apart on most major issues, including tax policy, abortion and guns.

Three models of the infant recliners are being recalled voluntarily by some of the nation's biggest retailers, including Amazon.com and Buy Buy Baby. The Consumer Product Safety Commission claims the products are hazardous. The maker has said the infant seats are safe when used as directed.

Chef Amanda Cohen's Dirt Candy is a turducken of a book: graphic novel, cookbook and memoir in one. Cohen's East Village restaurant in New York City is focused entirely on vegetables — and with just nine tables, it's become a foodie destination.

In Italy, a Catholic priest has stirred widespread outrage after he blamed incidents of domestic violence on the way women dress. Father Piero Corsi's remarks were in a Christmas message he put on a church bulletin board; photos of the note soon went viral.