Emergency workers rushed to restore electricity to Japan's stricken nuclear power plant Monday, raising hopes that pumps may once again send cooling water to the badly damaged reactors and spent fuel rods.

But the crisis is far from over. In fact, workers had to evacuate for the day when smoke started to rise from the power plant. And nuclear contamination continues to spread. Produce and milk from at least two provinces near the plant have been restricted by the government. The plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, faces growing criticism, even from within.

"The Federal Reserve Board on Monday said it is preparing to release sensitive emergency lending data from the peak of the 2008 financial crisis after the Supreme Court rejected a bid by major banks to keep the information secret," Dow Jones Newswires writes.

Last week, California Gov. Jerry Brown designated March 20 as a day of remembrance and prayer for earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan, but many in Los Angeles didn't need the reminder.

Los Angeles hosts one of the largest Japanese communities in the country, a good part of which lives in a little West Los Angeles neighborhood that's sometimes called Little Osaka and other times referred to as "that street west of the 405 freeway where all the Japanese restaurants are."

One year after the new federal health care law was signed, many small business owners in Colorado say they’ve already benefited from the legislation.

David Schubert, a Nevada prosecutor who handled drug cases involving celebrity Paris Hilton and singer Bruno Mars, was himself arrested over the weekend on a cocaine charge, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is to make it official Monday afternoon that he's forming a presidential exploratory committee, which means he's getting closer to launching an all-out run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Pawlenty's Facebook and Twitter pages are alerting his followers to a "special message" scheduled for 3 pm ET.

For months state lawmakers have feared the worst where budget cuts are concerned. They got a sliver of good news late last week – but the state’s money woes are still far from over.

For people who love to vote in big TV talent competitions, this week double delivers. American Idol is in the thick of its live performance shows and Dancing With The Stars comes back with its 12th season. This round of Idol competitors has a lot of singing talent, but my big question is this: Can Dancing With The Stars survive without, well, stars?

The percentage of undisclosed money in the political system went up during last year's midterm elections. That's because of a dramatic increase in advertising by anonymously funded freelance organizations such as the American Action Fund and Citizens for Strength and Security.

Much of the money is thought to come from corporations. Now, proponents of transparency are winning disclosure battles one corporation at a time.

What Disclosure Means

Agritourism is becoming an increasingly popular way for farmers and ranchers looking to diversify their business and make extra money.