It would be easier to take a stand on the proposed Whole Foods- Wild Oats merger if all the ingredients were on the table. Unfortunately, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman put his ruling in favor of the $565 million deal in shrink wrap.

A U.S. appeals court in Washington has cleared the way for Whole Foods and Wild Oats to join in a $565 million merger. The court rejected a move by the Federal Trade Commission to block the deal between the two largest U.S.

By MATT APUZZO WASHINGTON - A federal judge on Monday began envisioning a time when would-be presidential assassin John W. Hinckley Jr. is healthy enough to leave a mental hospital and rejoin society.

WASHINGTON - The man who shot President Reagan may continue taking short, overnight trips away from a mental hospital, but a federal judge says John Hinckley Jr. is not ready for longer visits yet. U.S. District Judge Paul L.

The man who tried to kill President Reagan won permission to unmonitored visits with his parents, a decision criticized by the former president's family. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman said John Hinckley Jr.