WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy is looking more resilient, thanks in part to encouraging signs for the two most expensive purchases most Americans make: cars and homes. Cheap loans and a bounty of fuel-efficient models enticed people to buy new vehicles at a brisk pace last month. And the nation enjoyed another year-over-year surge in home prices in August — a sign that the housing industry is making a sustained comeback.

The post-Emmy champagne surely tasted sweet for the people at "Modern Family" and "Homeland," but they needed only to look around the Nokia Theatre to see how quickly popular tastes and Hollywood's most unpredictable awards show can change perceptions. "Modern Family" continued its run as television's most honored comedy at Sunday's Emmys, winning the best comedy award for the third year in a row, a directing honor for co-creator Steve Levitan and acting trophies for Julie Bowen and Eric Stonestreet. They were already conscious that with such success may come an inevitable backlash.

DALLAS (AP) — With American Airlines canceling dozens of flights every day, passengers with fall travel plans are confronting an inconvenient question: Should they avoid the nation's third-largest carrier because labor strife might cause delays and cancelations? Several prominent travel gurus say it's too early to "book away" from American. They say the number of canceled flights is still small and that American can find room on other planes for displaced passengers.

Roger Clemens has been acquitted on all charges by a jury that decided he didn’t lie to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

Bus No. 25 on Division and Ruby streets carries a million passengers a year. It is among the top-performing lines for Spokane Transit Authority, with average daily loads of 3,400 passengers on weekdays.

Lance Armstrong licked ’em again. Always has. Always will. Like cancer and the Tour de France, the federal government turned out to be just another challenge to conquer. On his trophy wall, next to those bright yellow jerseys he got for winning the world’s toughest bike race seven times, Armstrong can now hang the scalp of steroid cop Jeff Novitzky.

There’s a new fitness class in Spokane Valley that’s taking exercise to new heights. In September, lifelong gymnast Sherrie Martin launched Spokane Aerial Performance Arts and began offering classes at Spokane Gymnastics. Aerial silks is a type of performance in which one or more artists execute acrobatics and tricks while hanging from two long pieces of soft fabric that are suspended from a single point.

Alligator Diesel Performance in Coeur d’Alene increased its sales more than 1,200 percent over the past three years, enough to hit Inc. Magazine’s list of the country’s 500 fastest-growing private companies. But earnings reports alone do not tell Alligator’s story. This company’s success is about more than how to sell high-performance parts for light diesel trucks. Or how to manufacture them. Or how to install them, all of which Alligator does.