The price of U.S. homes continued to drop by record-setting amounts in March, but some hard-hit cities showed signs of stabilization, according to a monthly housing report released Tuesday. Still, the overall tone of the report, published by Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller Home Price Index -- a closely watched measure of 20 major cities -- was negative.

The California Supreme Court ruled today that Proposition 8 will stand as passed by voters last November, thereby officially amending the state's constitution to restrict same-sex unions.

A leading computer security firm is giving away a free downloadable antivirus product that uses cloud computing to protect personal computers from Cyber nasties such as last month's dreaded Conficker computer worm. Panda Security, the Spain-based creator of Panda Internet Security and Panda Antivirus, earlier this month unveiled a beta version of its new product, Panda Cloud Antivirus.

The growth of the U.S. Hispanic population slowed considerably in 2008, with 36 states posting a smaller increase than the year before, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau. The biggest dips came in states hit hardest by the housing meltdown, such as Nevada and Arizona.

The number of Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States is expected to grow 41.8 percent in the next six years to 4.3 million, with total revenues surging 39 percent to more than $539 billion, according to new estimates by HispanTelligence. Spurred by growing entrepreneurial trends and affluence among the nation's largest minority population, the increase is expected to come at a robust rate of 8.5 and 8.7 percent, respectfully, over the next couple years.

For more than two decades, the annual Hispanic Business 500 directory has served as a barometer of the U.S. Hispanic economy. A purchase of the 2007 directory provides the top 500 Hispanic-owned companies list in Excel format including: CEO names; company addresses and telephone numbers; e-mail addresses for 375 companies and Web addresses for 430 companies; and company revenue and employees numbers for 2005 and 2006.

What would we do without our cell phones? A decade ago they were merely a convenience. With added features like Internet, e-mail, GPS, extended coverage, unlimited minutes, and mobile messaging, their importance has eclipsed most other forms of personal business technology. Naturally, we want to protect them. The Zagg invisibleSHIELD is a film that is custom-cut for your device. When properly applied, the clear sticker protects your phone and is barely noticeable. In other words, the compelling form that prompted you to pick that smartphone in the first place does not need

Renewable energy and so-called green initiatives are only a fraction of the bulging stimulus package that President Obama envisions creating or protecting 3.5 million jobs over the next two years. As part of it, he calls for a doubling of the amount of renewable energy produced in this country during the next three years. People in the industry, indeed, appear to be gearing up for a new era in energy development.

Amid persisting news about an uncertain economy, it is inspiring that nonprofit organizations continue to forge ahead in the face of multifaceted challenges. In the 10 years this story has appeared in these pages, finally Hispanic nonprofits report what could turn out to be an institutional milestone. With the help of community human resources, they have made a breakthrough of sorts in their efforts to catch the attention of large California foundations.