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The aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks revitalized New York City's mafia organizations. That's one of the revelations of former 'New York Times' crime reporter Selwyn Raab's new book, 'Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires'.

The parks and recreation department in Edmond, Okla., hosted an Easter egg hunt for dogs. The Daily Oklahoman reports more than 70 canines took part in the first Hound Hunt — sniffing out more than 700 treat-filled plastic eggs.

Federal environmental officials and General Electric announce a deal for the long-delayed cleanup of the Hudson River. GE dumped more than a million pounds of PCBs into the river before the federal government banned the substance in 1977. Andrea Bernstein of member station WNYC reports.

In his new book Offshore: The Dark Side of the Global Economy, reporter Brittain-Catlin delves into the shadowy world of offshore banking. He estimates that one-third of the world's wealth — or $7 trillion — is held in farflung locales such as the Cayman Islands.

They report the great playwright did not entirely make his living in the theater. He was also a merchant, a moneylender and a tax dodger. In 1598, he was prosecuted for hoarding grain during a famine.

Investigators say the homeowner is a police sergeant in Newton, Mass. He's the superior officer of the guy who was tossing the eggs at the house. The MetroWest Daily News reports that both men were off duty at the time, and both insist it was just a joke between friends.

As the FBI and the FDA investigate two produce companies in Salinas, Calif., for evidence of lapses that could have caused last month's E. coli outbreak, one of the plants announces new internal standards for food safety. But as John Sepulvado of member station KAZU reports, the produce industry has no enforceable food safety federal regulations.

A special commission appointed by President Bush issued its report Wednesday on improving health care for wounded veterans, particularly those returning from Iraq. And the Senate approved a bill to streamline benefits and increase military pay.

NASA promised to review its efforts to monitor the mental health of the astronaut corps after an astronaut was arrested in February. A report on the issue says the agency allowed two astronauts to fly 12 hours after they had gotten drunk.

In a few weeks, Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Lt. Gen. David Petraeus will present their findings on the success of the military surge in Iraq. Host Liane Hansen speaks to New York Times reporter Michael Gordon about his most recent trip to Iraq.