A blown transformer in the Fisher Plaza building (home to local ABC affiliate television station KOMO-TV and KOMO Radio) in downtown Seattle has affected a data center there, and Bing Travel among numerous other sites have been affected. An explanation is up at www.bing.com/travel: Sorry, travel ....

In a big break for online shoppers, Web retailers generally don't have to charge sales taxes in states where they lack a store or some other physical presence. Increasingly, states aching under the weight of the recession are seeking a way around that rule. Because companies like Amazon.com Inc. ....