DR JMK - How do you log on to AOL? If you have DSL, cable modem, T1 line, etc., you can take advantage of the "Bring Your Own Access" plan - just like BK. -Or do you use standard dial-up regularly or even semi-regularly?
As for the newsgroups problem... I haven't used a Newsgroup in a while, but when I did, I set up a separate e-mail address on Yahoo, and then set the e-mail filter to only accept mail from the Newsgroup address(es). Is that an option?
*Yes, spam still got through, but it was very manageable and delete-able.