California

New stamp honors Ronald Reagan

A twinkly-eyed Ronald Reagan is going on a U.S. postage stamp.

Nancy Reagan unveiled a giant replica of the stamp Tuesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

It is Postal Service tradition to honor prominent Americans with a stamp no sooner than 10 years after death — except for U.S. presidents, who may be honored as early as the first birthday following their death.

Reagan, who died June 5, was born on Feb. 6, 1911. The first-day-of-issue stamp dedication ceremony will be at the Reagan library Feb. 9.

Washington, D.C.

Pennsylvania Avenue reopens by White House

Pennsylvania Avenue is once again open for pedestrians to stroll past the White House — but not for drivers.

First lady Laura Bush reopened a newly designed stretch of the street on Tuesday, two blocks that were closed 14 months ago to replace some of the uglier security measures with more attractive ones.

Gone are the Jersey barriers. In their place are bollards that are retractable for authorized vehicles. The $18.3 million project also includes granite benches, pavement similar to Buckingham Palace and a route for a possible downtown transit system.

The street remains closed to traffic, as it has been since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

Connecticut

New England states stingy with charity

Connecticut ranks first when it comes to making money — but joins New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island at the bottom of an annual index of charitable giving.

The Catalogue for Philanthropy’s 2004 Generosity Index showed Mississippi, for the eighth straight year, as the nation’s most giving state. It was followed by Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee.

The survey is based on residents’ average adjusted income and itemized charitable donations reported on 2002 federal tax returns, the latest year available.

Connecticut has the nation’s highest average adjusted gross income, at $64,724; its residents donate $175 less to charity than the national average of $3,455. That ranks Connecticut 44th on the index, a slip of seven places from last year.

Connecticut was followed by Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and, at No. 50 on the index, New Hampshire.

Among the top givers, rounding out spots seven through 10 were South Dakota, Utah, South Carolina and Idaho.