(NECN) - President Bush is urging Congress to quickly pass the economic stimulus package.

Bush told Republican lawmakers Friday that "it would be a mistake to delay or derail" the plan by tacking on extra spending.

"I understand the desire to add provisions from both the right and the left," the president said, adding that would be an error.

President Bush made his remarks at a gathering with House Republicans attending a congressional retreat in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

(NECN) - Former President Bill Clinton was pitching his wife's candidacy to a crowd of about 200 people Friday in Spartanburg, South Carolina -- in the northern part of the state.

"The only people who think she's a polarizing figure are the people who don't know her. The reason I think she's the most electable Democrat has nothing to do with race or gender," he said, adding he believes his wife is the most electable because she has "a lot of scar tissue and knows how to handle it."

(NECN) - The New England Patriots are back on the practice field ahead of the Super Bowl.

The team held a press conference Friday morning.

New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker speaks ahead of the big game.

The Patriots leave Sunday for Arizona, where they'll play the New York Giants in the Super Bowl on February 3.

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(NECN) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces an agreement with Republican leaders and the White House on an economic stimulus package that will give most tax filers rebates of $600 to $1,200.

The rebates will go to 117 million families, according to a Democratic summary. That includes $28 billion in checks to 35 million working families who wouldn't have been helped by Bush's original proposal, the analysis estimated.

(NECN) - Contractors who worked on the troubled Big Dig highway project have agreed to pay more than $400 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the state of Massachusetts over a fatal tunnel ceiling collapse and to cover the costs of leaks and design flaws.

Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the consortium that oversaw design and construction of the nation's costliest public works project, has agreed to pay $407 million, while several smaller companies will pay about $51 million collectively, U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said.

(NECN) - Contractors who worked on the troubled Big Dig highway project have agreed to pay more than $400 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the state of Massachusetts over a fatal tunnel ceiling collapse and to cover the costs of leaks and design flaws.

Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the consortium that oversaw design and construction of the nation's costliest public works project, has agreed to pay $407 million, while several smaller companies will pay about $51 million collectively, U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said.

(NECN) - New Hampshire Governor John Lynch delivers his annual State of the State address Wednesday afternoon.

Lynch tells lawmakers that tough economic times make new spending possible.

He said he will not support any legislation that calls for additional spending this year, unless it's for an emergency.

The governor said one area in which the state needs to spend more money is to help Coos County, which has been hit by the loss of well-paying paper mill jobs.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday that "there will be no peace" unless attacks are halted from all parts of the Palestinian territories, including those not controlled by his negotiating partners in the Palestinian leadership. But he said that both sides "are very seriously trying to move forward" on a deal.

"Israel does not tolerate and will not tolerate the continuation of these vicious attacks," Olmert said, after two and a half hours of talks with President Bush. "We will not hesitate

NECN - Hillary Clinton was accompanied by her husband and daughter Tuesday night after winning the NH Democratic primary. Clinton thanked the voters of NH for helping her find her "own voice" and vowed to give America the "kind of comeback" NH gave her. Clinton's campaign had braced for a loss in the state but packed primary day with events in a last-minute push. Clinton overhauled her strategy after Iowa in a move that clearly paid off.

After his win in Iowa, Barack Obama traveled to Portsmouth, NH Friday morning. He began his speech by thanking key staff members, then quickly shifted his focus towards trying to persuade undecided voters. Obama says that if voters in NH do the same as those in Iowa, then change will come to Washington and America. Currently Obama is behind Clinton in the latest polls out of the Granite State, but hopes to close that gap before Tuesday's primary.