Many religious traditions stress the importance of charity. But Mormons are remarkable for the amount and the precision with which they give to their church.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that each Mormon in good standing should tithe 10 percent of his or her income. The money goes right to church headquarters in Salt Lake City and then is distributed back to congregations around the world.

"That's written in stone, and preached from the pulpit," says Gordon Dahl, an economist at the University of California, San Diego, who is Mormon.

Budget cuts approved by Congress in the past two years are trickling down to local communities, and officials there are not happy. They say that reductions in community development block grants will hurt the nation's most vulnerable neighborhoods.

Two years ago, the federal government gave out about $4 billion in such grants to low- and moderate-income communities. This year, the figure is $3 billion — a 25 percent cut. And as that pie has shrunk, those whose slices have shrunk even more are hungry for answers.

SALEM, Ore. – Tensions are bubbling to the surface in Salem as the legislative session continues with no certain end in sight. Lawmakers had hoped to wrap up their work earlier this week. But by midday Thursday, it became apparent that the session would continue at least through Friday. That led Peter Courtney, President of the Senate, to blast the members of the House.

G.O.P. presidential candidates are looking for a boost from Washington’s caucuses this Saturday. It’s the last contest before Super Tuesday. But as one longtime party insider cautions, there won’t be any real winner this weekend.

The federal agency that oversees the nation’s mines says it’s changing how it handles key documents designed to improve mine safety. The move was prompted in part by a public radio investigation on a fatal mine accident in north Idaho.

OLYMPIA, Wash. - The state of Washington is opening the door to a new flavor of car rental, as Oregon and California have already done. The Washington Legislature just voted to tweak the auto insurance rules so you can rent your wheels to friends or strangers when you're not using your car yourself.

After years of severe budget cuts, better days may be on the horizon for higher education in Idaho and Washington.