Nation Headlines
Panel poised to back Blagojevich impeachment vote
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 10:21 A.M.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- The Illinois House committee investigating Gov. Rod Blagojevich released a draft report Thursday that concludes the Democratic governor has abused his power and was poised to recommend he be impeached by the full chamber....
Civil rights-era lawyer for Bond, Ali dies in Fla.
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 10:12 A.M.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Charles Morgan Jr., a civil rights-era lawyer from Alabama who represented Julian Bond and Muhammad Ali and argued for the "one man, one vote" principle that redrew political maps, died Thursday. He was 78....
Prosecutors: Madoff was ready to send out $173M
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 9:47 A.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Prosecutors say Bernard Madoff had $173 million in signed checks in his office desk that he was ready to send out at the time of his arrest last month....
Teen charged with 4 killings in Rochester, NY
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 9:38 A.M.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) -- A 17-year-old high school dropout shot, bludgeoned or stabbed to death four people over the Christmas holidays, three of them in the home of a jewelry merchant, police said Thursday....
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 9:35 A.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Prosecutors say Bernard Madoff had $173M in signed checks in office desk at time of arrest....
Ala. cop accused in fake disappearance going home
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 9:33 A.M.
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- An Alabama police sergeant accused of faking his abduction, stealing money and flying to Vegas won't contest a return back home to face charges....
Former Sen. Larry Craig dropping further appeals
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 9:18 A.M.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig has reached the end of the road in his effort to reverse his conviction in an airport bathroom sex sting, one of his lawyers said Thursday....
NY court papers may solve Gotti mystery
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 9:15 A.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- It's been one of the last unsolved mysteries from the gangland career of John Gotti....
Ga., Minn. part of national salmonella outbreak
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 9:11 A.M.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia, Ohio and Minnesota are among the states that are part of a national salmonella outbreak that has sent at least a dozen people to the hospital and sickened nearly 400 people, officials said Thursday....
Union soldier's bones found at Md. Civil War site
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 8:51 A.M.
SHARPSBURG, Md. (AP) -- Park officials say a visitor has found the remains of a Civil War soldier at the Antietam National Battlefield in western Maryland....
Fla. couple share tale of accidental trip to Cuba
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 8:36 A.M.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Robert Vassallo and Angellette Smith had been battered by waves for two days when a final surge sent their boat crashing into a reef off the western coast of Cuba....
Shooting by Oakland, Calif., officer sparks anger
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 8:33 A.M.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Mayor Ron Dellums urged residents to remain calm after protests turned violent in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a transit police officer....
Firefighters gain ground on wildfire near Denver
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 8:33 A.M.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- Thousands of evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes Thursday after firefighters took advantage of slowing winds overnight to partially contain a wildfire near Denver that destroyed two houses and several outbuildings....
Rain and melting snow bring floods to Washington
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 8:15 A.M.
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. (AP) -- More than 30,000 people were urged to leave their flood-endangered western Washington homes as snowmelt and rain swelled rivers and caused mudslides and avalanches that engulfed neighborhoods and roadways....
Private memorial set for Travolta's son in Fla.
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 8:12 A.M.
OCALA, Fla. (AP) -- John Travolta and family were expected to host a private memorial service Thursday for 16-year-old Jett Travolta at their gated-community home in central Florida while some town residents joined the mourning from afar....
Ala. sheriff locked up over measly jail meals
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 8:02 A.M.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- A northern Alabama sheriff was in federal custody Thursday after a judge ruled he purposely fed inmates skimpy meals so he could make money from an unusual system that lets sheriffs turn a profit on their jail kitchens....
Premier pledges to guard against fiscal crisis
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 7:45 A.M.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- The new Greek government was sworn in Thursday, with the prime minister pledging to shelter the country from financial crisis while ensuring security after Greece's worst riots in decades....
Nearly 10 percent of Latinos lag on mortgages
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 7 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nearly one in 10 Latino homeowners fell behind in mortgage payments last year, and about 3 percent said they had received a foreclosure notice, a Hispanic research group reported Thursday....
Mother, son die as Alabama flooding swamps car
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 4:38 A.M.
REFORM, Ala. (AP) -- An Alabama mother and her infant son are dead after floodwaters swept their vehicle off a rural road....
Ore. teens largely ignoring cell phone driving ban
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 4:27 A.M.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The chances that a teenager will be cited for talking on a cell phone while driving are pretty much zero in Oregon, a consequence of the way the law is written and a problem other states may be facing....
NY lawmaker sworn in amid assault investigation
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 3:58 A.M.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- A former police officer and councilman was sworn in as a new state senator, despite facing charges that he slashed his girlfriend's face with a piece of broken glass in a jealous rage....
Defense wants conviction dismissed in Web hoax
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 3:53 A.M.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Contending it's not a federal crime to violate the service terms of a Web site, a defense attorney has asked a judge to dismiss the conviction of a Missouri mother in a cruel Internet hoax on a 13-year-old girl who committed suicide....
ACLU criticizes police data in Newark, NJ
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 3:27 A.M.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- The American Civil Liberties Union is calling for an outside auditor to review civilian complaints against the Newark Police Department, which the group said are underreported....
Extreme Alaska cold grounds planes, disables cars
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 2:59 A.M.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- Ted Johnson planned on using a set of logs to a build a cabin in Alaska's interior. Instead he'll burn some of them to stay warm....
Ill. sec. of state feels the heat in Burris flap
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 1:52 A.M.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Until recently, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White may have been best known on the national stage for establishing an inner city tumbling team. No longer....
Study: Bad judgment leads to peril in Utah parks
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 1:35 A.M.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- If you're a guy on a day hike in a national park in Utah, step carefully. You're among the most likely to need rescuing....
More species invasions feared for Great Lakes
AP - THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 1:34 A.M.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- Dozens of foreign species could spread across the Great Lakes in coming years despite policies designed to keep them out, causing significant environmental and economic damage, a federal report says....
FBI: Man allegedly threatened to bomb LA-bound jet
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 8:37 P.M.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A Kentucky man who claimed to have a bomb aboard a Los Angeles-bound jetliner and was then tackled and bound by other passengers will not face federal charges, the FBI said Wednesday....
Richardson adviser worked for firm feds probing
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 8:36 P.M.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) -- One of Gov. Bill Richardson's close friends and advisers worked as a consultant for the California firm at the center of a federal pay-to-play probe that derailed the governor's appointment as commerce secretary....
Ex-sheriff's defense blasts Calif. corruption case
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 8:30 P.M.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- Lawyers for a former Orange County sheriff blasted federal prosecutors Wednesday for failing to call one of his ex-assistants as a key witness in his corruption trial....
Galveston officials paint bleak picture after Ike
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 8:03 P.M.
GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- Galveston officials pleaded with state lawmakers Wednesday for help in rescuing their island city from the dire financial straits it finds itself in nearly four months after the devastation of Hurricane Ike....
Chicago fire kills 3 children; 1 sibling rescued
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 7:39 P.M.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Firefighters say they have found three young siblings dead in an apartment building that caught fire on Chicago's southeast side....
Wash. teen charged with drowning newborn in toilet
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 6:34 P.M.
PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) -- A 16-year-old girl suspected of drowning an infant boy in a toilet and throwing the body in the trash was charged with murder Wednesday....
2 Ill. men accused of running $15M fraud scheme
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 6:30 P.M.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Two men passed themselves off as foreign currency traders to swindle customers out of $15 million, which they used to pay for a lifestyle that included strip clubs, jewelry and private jets, according to a criminal complaint unveiled Wednesday in federal court....
Baltimore city councilwoman, developer indicted
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 6:11 P.M.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A grand jury indicted a Baltimore councilwoman and a prominent developer Wednesday, the first public corruption charges in a three-year probe of city finances that has targeted the mayor....
Environmental group backs canal for Calif. delta
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 6:07 P.M.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- A national environmental group recommended Wednesday that California overhaul its water-delivery system by building a canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta....
NYC bouncer gets 25 years in student's kidnapping
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 5:41 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- A former New York City nightclub bouncer has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for kidnapping a young woman as she walked home from class....
Boy's 1999 disappearance raises questions, regrets
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 5:28 P.M.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- No one claims to know what happened that summer in 1999 when 11-year-old Adam Herrman disappeared from the mobile home park where he lived with his adoptive parents....
6-year-old takes family car after missing bus
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 5:01 P.M.
WICOMICO CHURCH, Va. (AP) -- A 6-year-old Virginia boy who missed his bus tried to drive to school in his family's sedan - and crashed. His parents were charged with child endangerment. State police said the boy suffered only minor injuries and authorities drove him to school after he was evaluated at a local hospital for a bump on his head. He arrived shortly after lunch, Sgt. Tom Cunningham said....
Vets sue CIA, DoD over military experiments
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 4:43 P.M.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Six veterans who say they were exposed to dangerous chemicals, germs and mind-altering drugs during Cold War-era experiments filed a federal lawsuit against the CIA, Department of Defense and other agencies Wednesday....
Schwarzenegger to restart stalled budget talks
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 4:42 P.M.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that he'll restart stalled budget talks with legislative leaders in hopes of getting a quick deficit-cutting agreement that would save the state from having to issue IOUs to vendors and taxpayers expecting refunds....
Utah man, 82: I was trapped in bathtub for 5 days
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 4:33 P.M.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- An 82-year-old man who slipped and fell in the bathtub of his Salt Lake City home says he was trapped there for five days....
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 560
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 4:28 P.M.
As of Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, at least 560 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The department last updated its figures Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST....
Police search Ky. landfill for NJ baby remains
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 3:54 P.M.
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (AP) -- The search for the remains of a Jersey City baby apparently thrown in the trash by a hospital has moved to Kentucky, but police fear the corpse has already been incinerated....
New Orleans drops charges against Catholics
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 3:53 P.M.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- New Orleans prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against two protesters who were arrested after they refused to leave a Catholic church closed by the archdiocese....
NY hears wedding bells, aims to compete with Vegas
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 3:29 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Watch out, Las Vegas: New York City wants to become the new No. 1 place to tie the knot....
Taxpayer tab over Mo. gov's e-mail trouble: $1.5M
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 3:21 P.M.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Outgoing Gov. Matt Blunt's troubles over deleted e-mails and the firing of a staff attorney have cost Missouri taxpayers about $1.5 million....
Feds charge 3 NY men in election bias attacks
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 3:08 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Three men, riled by Barack Obama's victory, spent election night hunting down black people to beat up and yelling insults about the president-elect, federal prosecutors said Wednesday....
Fla. defender: Evidence mishandled in Brucia case
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 2:45 P.M.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- The convicted killer of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia, whose abduction was captured by a security camera, should be given a new trial, a public defender told the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday....
Ex-Buffalo Bill, HUD secretary Kemp has cancer
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 2:44 P.M.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Jack Kemp, the former housing secretary, congressman and Buffalo Bills quarterback, has been diagnosed with cancer, his office said Wednesday....
Pa. teen admits to charge in alleged school plot
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 2:21 P.M.
POTTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A Pennsylvania teenager accused of planning an attack at his high school admitted to a charge of attempted murder in juvenile court Wednesday....
Feds say wayward dolphins in NJ rivers are dying
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 2:16 P.M.
BRIGANTINE, N.J. (AP) -- More than two-thirds of the 16 bottlenose dolphins inhabiting New Jersey rivers since summer have died or disappeared, federal officials say....
Heavy rain causing flooding across South
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 2:07 P.M.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Heavy rain across the South on Wednesday caused flooding, school and road closures and a landslide that destroyed a home in North Carolina....
His US sentence served, Noriega fights extradition
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 1:38 P.M.
MIAMI (AP) -- As the only prisoner of war held on U.S. soil, inmate No. 38699-079 gets annual visits from the Red Cross and can wear his military uniform and insignia when he goes to court....
Texas seeks custody of sect leader's alleged bride
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 1:36 P.M.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Texas authorities are seeking permanent custody of a 14-year-old girl who was allegedly married to jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs, a step toward severing her parents' rights altogether....
Increase of sick brown pelicans baffles experts
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 1:35 P.M.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Wildlife experts are trying to figure out why sick, disoriented and bruised California brown pelicans are being found in record numbers along more than 1,000 miles of coastline....
Calif. postal worker accused of opening letters
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 1:14 P.M.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- A U.S. Postal Service worker in Northern California has been charged with opening greeting cards to steal cash and other property....
Former attorney general Griffin Bell laid to rest
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 12:58 P.M.
AMERICUS, Ga. (AP) -- Former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell has been laid to rest in his hometown in south Georgia, with friends and family looking on....
Charges: Stolen church cash paid for vasectomy
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 12:44 P.M.
MARION, Ind. (AP) -- An Indiana prosecutor says a former church official is charged with stealing more than $276,000 from church accounts and using some of the money to pay for a vasectomy....
Injured vets wait for disability appeal process
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 12:27 P.M.
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) -- Wounded troops are still waiting to file new appeals of disability ratings that determine what kind of medical care and benefits they get after federal officials missed their goal for beginning the process....
US appeals in Fla. lawyer money laundering case
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 12:22 P.M.
MIAMI (AP) -- The Justice Department is appealing a judge's dismissal of a conspiracy charge against a prominent Miami attorney accused of illegal dealings with a Colombian drug kingpin....
Colo. 1st state with 2 black legislative leaders
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 12:08 P.M.
DENVER (AP) -- Sharecropper's grandson Terrance Carroll was chosen Wednesday as speaker of Colorado's House of Representatives, making the state the first in the nation where blacks lead both chambers of its Legislature....
Suspicious vehicle shuts streets near Obama office
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 11:42 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An investigation into a suspicious vehicle near President-elect Barack Obama's transition team office in northwest Washington shut down streets for about an hour....
Judge in Texas pleads innocent to new sex charges
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 10:45 A.M.
HOUSTON (AP) -- A federal judge charged with fondling a court employee and trying to force her into a sexual act pleaded innocent Wednesday to new allegations brought by another former employee....
New Orleans DA can't afford $15M for ex-inmate
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 10:39 A.M.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- New Orleans' new district attorney is warning that his office may need to file for bankruptcy protection because it can't afford to pay $15 million to a man who spent 18 years on death row before being exonerated....
Spokane, Wash., residents cope with record snow
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 10:15 A.M.
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- More than 6 feet of snow in the past three weeks has made Spokane residents edgy, and Wednesday brought new problems as melting snow and ice caused flooding and mudslides....
Joe the Plumber to become war correspondent
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 9:38 A.M.
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Joe The Plumber is putting down his wrenches and picking up a reporter's notebook....
Study: Networking hinders black women execs
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 9:27 A.M.
Black women face special challenges in their efforts to reach the top levels of corporate America, according to a new study....
Drug from genetically engineered goats a first
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 8:02 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a scientific first, an anti-clotting drug made from the milk of genetically engineered goats is moving closer to government approval for humans....
AP Exclusive: Calendar shows key Ill. gov meetings
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 3:50 A.M.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich's official calendar shows he met with a top union official in his Chicago office the day before Barack Obama was elected president - just as federal prosecutors say the governor was scheming to trade Obama's Senate seat, possibly for a cushy union job....
Man's death ruled homicide 35 years after shooting
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 3:10 A.M.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A man shot in the back 35 years ago has died of complications from the shooting and his death has been ruled a homicide - but prosecutors fear the trail for the suspect has long ago gone cold....
Boy's taped confession won't be used in Arizona
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 2:54 A.M.
ST. JOHNS, Ariz. (AP) -- In a dramatic police interview that gripped viewers nationwide, a 9-year-old boy sitting in an overstuffed chair told investigators that he shot his father and another man, then buried his head in his jacket and said, "I'm going to go to juvie."...
Mass. to mull higher penalties for ethics lapses
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 1:56 A.M.
BOSTON (AP) -- Gov. Deval Patrick is backing sweeping changes to Massachusetts' ethics laws, including dramatically increasing prison time for bribery and giving the attorney general wiretapping authority in corruption probes....
2 men, teen charged in gang rape of Calif. lesbian
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 1:29 A.M.
MARTINEZ, Calif. (AP) -- Two men and a teenager were charged Tuesday in the alleged gang rape of a lesbian in the San Francisco Bay area....
Conservation groups threaten suit over oil shale
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 1:21 A.M.
DENVER (AP) -- Environmental groups are threatening to sue the federal government to block plans for commercial oil shale development on nearly 2 million acres of public land in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming....
What slump? Fort Riley booming with construction
AP - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 12:43 A.M.
FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) -- While the national economy was slumping last year, business at Fort Riley was booming....
California sues over 2007 San Francisco Bay spill
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 10:31 P.M.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- California Attorney General Jerry Brown has filed a lawsuit seeking millions of dollars to recover the clean-up cost of the massive 2007 San Francisco Bay oil spill....
Boyfriend in Texas family ambush sentenced to life
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 8:07 P.M.
EMORY, Texas (AP) -- A 20-year-old man who helped kill a lovesick girl's family because the two were forbidden to date has been sentenced to life in prison without parole....
Hawaii man pleads not guilty in deadly dam break
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 7:28 P.M.
HONOLULU (AP) -- An 82-year-old Hawaii landowner pleaded not guilty to manslaughter Tuesday in the deaths of seven people swept from their homes after a century-old earthen dam broke on his property upstream....
Engineer: Tenn. ash spill warning signs ignored
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 7:01 P.M.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The nation's largest government-run utility ignored two small leaks that could have provided a warning years before a coal ash pond collapsed, flooding a neighborhood with a billion gallons of sludge, a former federal regulator contends....
State unemployment claim systems overwhelmed
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 7 P.M.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Electronic unemployment filing systems have crashed in at least three states in recent days amid an unprecedented crush of thousands of newly jobless Americans seeking benefits, and other states were adjusting their systems to avoid being next....
NY adopts clean air rules, stricter than EPA's
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 6:56 P.M.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York environmental regulators adopted stricter air pollution rules on Tuesday to prevent power plants and factories from belching out more smog and soot....
Fla. congressman asks Pelosi for football break
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 6:50 P.M.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Thursday's championship football game between No. 2 Florida and No. 1 Oklahoma is obviously a big game, but big enough to shut down Congress? Rep. Cliff Stearns hopes so....
Busy Gupta performs brain surgery, reports for CNN
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 6:27 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- If Barack Obama wants a surgeon general with visibility to promote health issues in his administration, it can't hurt to hire a CNN correspondent called one of People magazine's "sexiest men alive."...
Ex-eBay CEO largely unknown amid Calif. gov.'s bid
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 6:22 P.M.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Former eBay executive Meg Whitman brings intrigue and a big bank account to California's beleaguered Republican Party....
Obama plays food critic on Chicago public TV
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 5:07 P.M.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Barack and Michelle Obama are known for nights out on the town in Chicago, dining at some of its poshest restaurants with the smartest chefs. But who knew the president-elect was a food critic?...
LA water cops hunt wasteful faucets, sprinklers
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 4:57 P.M.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The green thumbs who keep lawns lush and flora flourishing in the city have found a new foe among the aphids, white flies and other yard pests - the water police....
Lawyer: Train engineer regularly used cell phone
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 4:50 P.M.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lawyers for more than a dozen victims in a deadly commuter rail crash accused the engineer's employer of ignoring complaints that he regularly used his cell phone while operating trains....
Ore. woman wakes up wounded by bullet through wall
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 4:25 P.M.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- It wasn't until the nurse in the emergency room lifted up a phone and said, "We've got a gunshot victim," that Sandra Howell understood why her arm hurt so much....
Police: Ex-Utah trooper's gun killed Texas driver
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 4:13 P.M.
GARLAND, Texas (AP) -- Police say the gun a former Utah trooper used to kill himself has been linked to the death of a second motorist in Texas last month and two other highway shootings....
Bush adviser: Iran, Pakistan key Obama challenges
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 4:09 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President George W. Bush's national security adviser said Tuesday that Iran is the biggest challenge President-elect Barack Obama will face in the Middle East and that more sanctions will be needed to force Tehran to forgo its nuclear ambitions and support for extremists....
Former Okla. sheriff on trial in jail sex case
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 4:06 P.M.
FAIRVIEW, Okla. (AP) -- A former sheriff in western Oklahoma used his influence over female jail inmates and drug court defendants to demand sex with them, a prosecutor said Tuesday as the ex-lawman's trial began. The defense said he never forced anyone to have sex....
Gridiron grandeur: SEC makes its case for No. 1
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 3:59 P.M.
Let the rest of the country brag about its ivy-covered traditions and its cultural superiority. Down in Dixie, it's all about trotting out the nation's top college football teams on any given Saturday....
Death of Travolta's son raises medical questions
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 3:19 P.M.
Millions of children and adults have seizures in the United States, but dying from one is rare. That only adds to the confusion and mystery surrounding the life and death of Jett Travolta, the 16-year-old son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston....
Blagojevich race card lands softly in Senate fight
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 3:03 P.M.
The first race card of the Obama era is now in play. In an apparent bid to save his political life - or perhaps just irritate and confound his enemies - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is trying to wedge a black man into the all-white Senate. On Tuesday, Blagojevich's choice, Roland Burris, was turned away on Capitol Hill when he tried to take his seat....
Gov't: Official billed $1.2M for no WTC tower work
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 2:55 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- A construction official falsely billed $1.2 million for supplies not delivered to clean up a toxic ground zero skyscraper in exchange for cash, clothes and trips to the Caribbean, prosecutors said Tuesday....
2 men indicted in currency scam that bilked 700
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 2:48 P.M.
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Two Montana men have been indicted on fraud charges for an investment scam that federal prosecutors say bilked more than 700 people with promises of never-lose trading techniques on the foreign exchange market....
Man charged in Ohio mom's death, son's kidnapping
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 2:34 P.M.
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- An Ohio man accused of killing a mother and abandoning her 4-year-old son on a highway has been charged with aggravated murder, kidnapping and gross sexual imposition involving a child under 13....
Cross-dressing doctor who killed wife found hanged
AP - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009 2:15 P.M.
BOSTON (AP) -- A cross-dressing, millionaire Harvard dermatologist serving life in prison for shooting his estranged wife to death has been found hanged in his cell, a prison spokeswoman said Tuesday....
