PITTSBURGH - The Black Eyed Peas will get things started for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10. The Grammy-winninghip-hop group will be joined by country star Tim McGraw for a free pre-game concert at Point State Park before the Steelers’ regular season opener against Tennessee.

Presented by EA Sports, the concert will be featured as part of NBC/NFL Network’s pre-game simulcast starting at 8 p.m.

Game time is 8:30 p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is moving more forcefully than ever to abandon Bush administration interrogation policies, approving creation of a White House-led unit for questioning terrorism suspects, as Attorney General Eric Holder weighs whether to reopen and pursue prisoner abuse cases.
A senior administration official told The Associated Press Monday that Obama has approved establishment of the new unit, to be known as the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, which will be overseen by the National Security Council. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the program has not yet been officially announced.
A U.S. intelligence official said Monday that the CIA welcomes the change, saying the agency does not want to be in the long-term detention business. The official spoke on grounds of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Obama campaigned vigorously against President George W. Bush’s interrogation policies in his successful run for the presidency. He has said more recently he didn’t particularly favor prosecuting Bush administration officials in connection with instances of prisoner abuse. But the issue now before Holder for consideration would have the new administration do precisely that: reopen several such cases with an eye toward possible criminal prosecution.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Fire officials in Buffalo, N.Y., say two firefighters are missing after a floor in a burning building collapsed.
Fire Commissioner Michael Lombardo says the firefighters were inside a convenience store Monday morning when the floor gave way. There were reports that a third person was also in the basement of the two-story building, but authorities aren’t releasing any other information.
Smoke continues to waft from the roof.
There is no immediate information on a possible cause of the fire.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina’s first lady Jenny Sanford is working to fix her shattered marriage after her husband admitted a yearlong affair.
Two longtime friends of the governor’s wife told CBS’s “The Early Show” Monday that Jenny Sanford wants to be able to say that she did everything possible to reconcile with Gov. Mark Sanford.
The Republican governor returned from a weeklong mystery absence in June to admit to an affair with an Argentine woman he called his soul mate. He’s vowed to stay in office and says he is trying to reconcile with his wife.
The Sanfords and their four sons took a two-week vacation to Europe last month. After they returned, Jenny Sanford moved out of the governor’s mansion with the children and is staying at the family’s coastal home.

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks are rising as investors look to build on last week’s momentum that sent major indexes to their highest levels of the year.
The moderate advance early Monday follows gains in overseas markets. Oil and other commodities are higher, while Treasury prices are mostly lower ahead of the government’s latest round of auctions.
Investors have been encouraged by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s declaration Friday that the economy is on the verge of recovery. This week, traders will look to data on housing and the consumer to determine if Bernanke’s upbeat view can be backed by actual activity.
The Dow Jones industrial average is up 49 at 9,555. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index is up 5 at 1,032, while the Nasdaq composite index is up 7 at 2,028.

SEWICKLEY - A multi-million dollar drug-trafficking ring authorities believe has been operating for nearly 20 years between western Pennsylvania and Arizona was smashed Friday with the arrest of 12 people suspected to be involved.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett announced the arrests Friday morning in Sewickley, saying the group moved more than 400 pounds of marijuana from Tucson to this area each month. He estimated they brought more than $2 million worth of marijuana to Allegheny and Beaver counties between 2007 and now.
The investigation was dubbed “Operation Infamous Choppers” because the alleged ringleader of the group was identified as John Duzicky, 37, of 710 Timber Lane, Aleppo Township, owner of Infamous Choppers, a motorcycle shop at 534 Camp Horne Road, Ohio Township.
Corbett said authorities believe Duzicky has been involved in transporting marijuana from Arizona, where he also maintains residency, to Beaver County as far back as 1990. He said Duzicky received bulk quantities from a Mexican supplier while he was in Arizona.
The attorney general’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation has been tracking the drug ring since 2007 and recently presented its case to a statewide grand jury, which recommended criminal charges be filed.
“Today’s arrests have disrupted a multi-million dollar drug pipeline flowing into Pennsylvania,” Corbett said. “This organization allegedly pumped more than 10,000 pounds of marijuana onto the streets of western Pennsylvania during this operation.”
A series of undercover drug buys were made in various locations including Ohio Township, Ambridge, Aliquippa, Crescent Township and Independence Township from Duzicky and his associates during the investigation, Corbett said. He said investigators seized approximately 220 pounds of marijuana, approximately $635,000 in cash, two kilos of cocaine, two handguns, two shotguns, six vehicles and a custom chopper over the course of the investigation.

The New Sewickley Township recreation board will have its final movie night tonight at Green Valley Park.
“Beverly Hills Chihuahua” will begin at dusk. The board will serve free beverages and popcorn along with grilled hot dogs donated by the township police union.

Allegheny County will have its annual German Food Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the county courthouse courtyard on Grant Street in Pittsburgh.
Bratwurst, weisswurst, knackwurst, German potato salad and sauerkraut will be served. Lunch will be $5 to $7.

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) _ Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke declared Friday that the U.S. economy is on the verge of a long-awaited recovery after enduring a brutal recession and the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Economic activity in both the U.S. and around the world appears to be “leveling out,” and “the prospects for a return to growth in the near term appear good,” Bernanke said in a speech at an annual Fed conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
The upbeat assessment was consistent with the Fed’s observations earlier this month as it took a small step toward pulling back some emergency programs to revive the economy.
Still, Bernanke stressed Friday that despite much progress in stabilizing financial markets and trying to bust through credit clogs, consumers and businesses are still having trouble getting loans. The situation is not back to normal, he said.
Restoring the free flow of credit is a critical component to a lasting recovery.
“Although we have avoided the worst, difficult challenges still lie ahead,” Bernanke told the gathering. “We must work together to build on the gains already made to secure a sustained economic recovery.”
Strains in financial markets worldwide persist. Financial institutions face “significant additional losses” on soured investments and many businesses and households are experiencing “considerable difficulty” in getting loans, he said.
The Fed chief’s remarks come two years after the financial crisis broke out and nearly one year after it had deepened to the point of sending the nation into a near meltdown.
The bulk of Bernanke’s speech was a chronicle of the extraordinary events of the past year. Financial markets took a turn for the worst starting last September and into October, nearly shutting down the flow of credit. The crisis felled storied Wall Street firms and forced the government to take over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as insurance titan American International Group Inc.

BC-US–Home Sales,0120 July home sales surge more than 7 percent Eds: APNewsNow. Moving on general news and financial services. By ALAN ZIBEL= AP Real Estate Writer=
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Home resales posted the largest monthly increase in at least 10 years last month as first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of a tax credit that expires this fall.
The National Association of Realtors says home sales rose 7.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.24 million last month, from a pace of 4.89 million in June.
It was the fourth-straight monthly increase and the highest level of sales since August 2007. Sales had been expected to rise to an annual pace of 5 million, according to economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
The median sales price was $178,400, down 15 percent from $210,100 in the same month last year.