First-class stamps to cost same in '10

The Postal Service has raised rates annually in recent years, announcing the increases in January and putting them in effect in May. This year, the first-class rate rose from 42 cents to 44.

But Postmaster General John E. Potter, in an internal memo, said there would be no price increase next year for products in which the agency dominates the market, including first-class mail, standard mail, and periodicals.

An announcement is expected next month on whether there will be price changes for competitive products, such as priority and express mail. The post office has struggled with losses as more and more letters and bill payments move online. - AP

Ares test delays Nov. shuttle flight

Atlantis, which was supposed to lift off Nov. 12, is now due to launch Nov. 16. The delay will make it easier to get the experimental Ares rocket flying next week, NASA said. The Ares I-X is supposed to blast off next Tuesday on a brief suborbital flight. NASA will move it to the pad this morning.

The Ares test vehicle will carry neither people nor payloads when it takes off. Much of the rocket consists of mock-up hardware. NASA wants to see how well the partial first stage performs. - AP

Names blocked in gay-rights fight

Kennedy said his order, which blocks last week's federal appeals court ruling that ordered the names released, would remain in effect while he considered a request by a group that asked him to reverse the appeals ruling.

The case involves Referendum 71, a measure that asks voters to approve or reject the state's "everything but marriage" law, which grants registered domestic partners the same legal rights as married heterosexuals. A group called Protect Marriage Washington circulated a petition to put the law before the voters. Gay-rights supporters and open-government groups have sought to disclose the names, saying signers should be identified so the public knows who is behind the referendum. - AP

Elsewhere:

A fighter pilot who made a cameo appearance as a Tom Cruise foe in the movie Top Gun has taken over as the top U.S. military commander in Asia and the Pacific. Adm. Robert F. Willard assumed control of the U.S. Pacific Command in a ceremony yesterday in Hawaii.

California fire officials said an Aug. 30 blaze that destroyed 63 homes in the Sierra foothills was intentionally set. The state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said investigators determined that the wildfire was arson. The flames ripped through the city of Auburn, causing an estimated $40 million worth of damage.