DETROIT -- Kmart has taken aim at several hundred towns, cities and counties nationwide in a lawsuit that claims the communities overcharged the discount retailer millions of dollars in property taxes on stores and other facilities. Some of those being sued have agreed to settlements over the disputed tax assessments, which range in value from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. But other communities, including several in California, have banded together to fight, saying Kmart is using the suit to pressure them into accepting its demands.

Google plans to offer free e-mail service

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Search engine Google Inc. announced Wednesday it will launch a free, Web-based e-mail service to compete against popular services from rivals Yahoo! Inc. and Microsoft Corp. Google's service, called "Gmail," will include a built-in search that will let people search every e-mail they've ever sent or received.

-- From wire reports