A Northern California bus driver involved in a crash that killed 11 people last year has been sentenced to more than 26 years in prison.Quintin Watts was sentenced b...

Today is Thursday, Nov. 5, the 309th day of 2009. There are 56 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On Nov. 5, 1605, the "Gunpowder Plot" failed...

Sheldon DorfSAN DIEGO (AP) — Sheldon Dorf, who founded the world famous Comic-Con International comic book convention, has died. He was 76.A longtime friend...

A former executive for a California-based tomato processor agreed to plead guilty to participating in a conspiracy to drive up food prices nationwide, federal prosecutors s...

For those wounded by the D.C. snipers and for the relatives of those killed, the emotions leading up to the execution of the mastermind behind the 2002 attacks vary as wide...

Liberian immigrant Mansfield Neblett just wanted to wear his cheesehead hat to President Barack Obama's speech at a Wisconsin middle school.The first roadblock were ...

Ted Haggard, who was dismissed from the megachurch he founded after a man alleged a cash-for-sex relationship with him, plans to lead people in worship again.The pas...

The United States spends more money than any other country, and its elite institutions are the world's best. But overall the system is wasteful, fails too many — and is f...

A federal judge has approved a settlement ending a prison lawsuit filed by Pamela Smart, who is serving a life sentence in one of New Hampshire's most notorious murders.Relatives mourn at ND pond where women found dead, Blake Nicholson

Teammates and family members threw roses and softballs Wednesday into the farm pond where three North Dakota college softball players were found dead inside their sunken sp...

John "Junior" Gotti's mother unleashed a profanity-laced tirade Wednesday after a judge dismissed two anonymous jurors at her son's racketeering trial, saying he was being ...

Anthony Sowell of Cleveland has been charged with five counts of aggravated murder. Authorities said Wednesday they have confirmed a total of at least 11 victims whose rema...

In stories Aug. 30, Sept. 14 and Nov. 3 about a New Mexico boy accused in the shooting death of his father, The Associated Press, relying on information from Belen police, ...

As of Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, at least 4,359 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.2 NY jurors gone and Gotti's mother is not happy, Larry Neumeister

John "Junior" Gotti's mother unleashed a profanity-laced tirade Wednesday after a judge dismissed two anonymous jurors at her son's racketeering trial, saying he was being ...

Attorneys for John Allen Muhammad released a May 2008 letter on Wednesday in which the mastermind of the deadly 2002 sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C., area proclaims ...

A robot powered by a ground-based laser beam climbed a long cable dangling from a helicopter on Wednesday to qualify for prize money in a $2 million competition to test the...

The Federal Aviation Administration has determined a runway incursion at Los Angeles International Airport last week was minor.In a statement Wednesday, the FAA says...

Attorneys for John Allen Muhammad have released a May 2008 letter in which the mastermind of the 2002 sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C., area proclaims his innocence.<...

The muffled voices are heard only for a few seconds, but are chilling nevertheless."This is the state police, you called 911, do you have an emergency?" a woman's vo...

An explosion at a Utah oil refinery — the second this year — smashed windows, bent garage doors and peeled siding Wednesday from 10 nearby houses, officials said.Obama explains 6th grader's test challenges

President Barack Obama is making the need for parent involvement personal, citing his own daughter's classroom challenges.During a speech about his administration's ...

Tropical storm Ida is gaining strength in the southwest Caribbean, prompting a hurricane watch for the eastern coast of Nicaragua and storm warnings for two Colombian islan...

Yoga practitioners are criticizing a Missouri sales tax that applies to yoga classes, claiming they should be exempt because the lessons include spiritual elements.A...

In stories Oct. 30-Nov. 4 about the discovery of corpses in the home of a sex offender, The Associated Press, relying on information from the Cleveland police department, e...

A joint publishing venture between influential pastor Rick Warren and Reader's Digest magazine has collapsed less than a year after it was announced with great fanfare....

With some American Indian groups waiting decades for formal recognition from the U.S. government, federal officials Wednesday pledged to overhaul the cumbersome process but...

CLEVELAND — The run-down Cleveland neighborhood where 50-year-old Anthony Sowell quietly carved out an existence is the type of place where women can disappear almost in ...

Ohio voters have approved the opening of casinos in Toledo and three other cities, leaving officials and gambling interests in neighboring Indiana and Michigan worried that...

A spokeswoman for Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear says he's calling the tree on the Capitol's front lawn a "Christmas" tree this holiday season.A statement from the admi...

A laser-powered machine has zipped thousands of feet up a cable dangling from a helicopter in a competition to develop space elevator technology.LaserMotive of Seatt...

Bernard Kerik, a former New York City police commissioner and one-time nominee for Homeland Security secretary, will enter a guilty plea to resolve three pending criminal t...

AP Sources: House Democratic health care bill to be endorsed by the AARPWASHINGTON (AP) — In a coup for House Democrats, AARP will endorse sweeping health care ove...

A priest found slain in the kitchen of his New Jersey church's rectory asked a 911 operator for "help" before the call abruptly ended.The state police operator calle...

Authorities reported a staggering jump in the number of marijuana plants seized in California's eradication effort, claiming a more than 50 percent jump over the previous y...

Just hours after a state board voted Wednesday to allow the enforcement of a long-debated Illinois law requiring a teenage girl's parents be notified before she has an abor...

The Michigan appeals court ordered a man removed from the state's sex-offender registry Wednesday, saying it was cruel punishment for a young "Romeo" who had a consensual r...

The Associated Press has withdrawn its story about a sex offender who lived in a Cleveland house where several corpses were found. Authorities say that despite a police new...

Two Republican lawmakers advising Ohio's Democratic governor on changes to the state's lethal injection process say it shouldn't be hard to fix the system.The lawmak...

Sister Marguerite Bartz had worried just weeks ago about crime in the community after someone broke into the St. Berard Mission Church and stole bingo money.Then she...

A small Northern California city has banned medical marijuana growing and dispensing, a move opponents say will bring lawsuits.Red Bluff's city council approved two ...

Stunned and angry, national gay rights leaders Wednesday blamed scare-mongering ads — and President Barack Obama's lack of engagement — for a bitter election setback in...

The family of a Connecticut woman mauled and blinded by a chimpanzee sought Wednesday to sue the state for $150 million, saying officials failed to prevent the attack.<...

Authorities say they have confirmed a total of at least 11 victims whose remains were found in the Cleveland home of a sex offender.The Cuyahoga County coroner's off...

Pennsylvania's high court says the role of two accused judges in a $3.5 million defamation award against The Citizens' Voice of Wilkes-Barre warrants a new trial.The...

An Ohio man who threatened to blow up several Cincinnati-area landmarks has been sentenced to a year and a half in prison.Frederick Purvis, of Hamilton, was sentence...

It seemed like a great idea — doing bypass surgery while the heart is still beating, sparing patients the complications that can come from going on a heart-lung machine. ...

Advice about soft drinks and health from one of the nation's largest doctors groups will soon be brought to you by Coke.The American Academy of Family Physicians has...

A late-day slump left stocks mixed Wednesday as investors couldn't hold on to their optimism after the Federal Reserve gave an encouraging assessment of the economy....

An Ohio man dressed as a Breathalyzer test for Halloween found himself blowing into one after police stopped him for allegedly driving the wrong way without headlights on a...

Michelle Obama's vegetable garden is about to become a culinary battlefield.The Food Network announced Wednesday that an episode of "Iron Chef America" will be taped...

A 14-year-old with a baby face told investigators he drowned his 4-year-old neighbor in a bathtub then hid the body in a dryer because the child was going to reveal the tee...

Voters approved a referendum making Maine the fifth state to allow retail pot dispensaries, but medical marijuana advocates say it won't become like California, where hundr...

A woman pleaded guilty and will spend five days in jail after letting her daughter ride in a cardboard box on top of their van. The judge ordered Jackie Knott to 90 days ja...

Officials said a man gave deputies more than they asked for when he was pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving. Sheriff Greg Bartlett told WAFF Tuesday that 48-year-old ...

A laser-powered robot failed to complete its climb up a long cable dangling from a helicopter Wednesday in a $2 million competition to test the potential reality of the sci...

The family of a Connecticut woman mauled and blinded by a chimpanzee is seeking to sue the state for $150 million.Attorneys for Charla Nash's family filed a notice W...

New Hampshire wildlife officials said a boar that ran into the side of a woman's car on Interstate 89 in New London most likely escaped from a private game preserve. Becky ...

Women in a polygamist sect were taught that their fathers or husbands and the sect's prophet had the right to direct every aspect of their lives, a former member testified ...

Meadow the yearling Black Angus calf spends her days frolicking in northeastern New Mexico's cattle country, all with her prosthetic hind legs.The bucolic scene seem...

The lawyer for a Florida man who claims he's too fat to have killed his former son-in-law told jurors Wednesday that all they have to do is look at his client to see that h...

Tropical storm Ida has formed in the southwest Caribbean, quickly adding muscle and prompting storm warnings for the coast of Nicaragua and two Colombian islands.The...

Pushing for a link between student test scores and teacher pay, President Barack Obama on Wednesday dangled $5 billion in federal grants to states willing to undertake a to...

Officials in Maryland say a man has died after he caught fire at a gas station pump.Spokesman Joseph Zurolo says the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office isn't sure ...

The Coast Guard plans a memorial service for seven members who died in a collision with a Marine helicopter near San Diego last week.The Coast Guard said Wednesday t...

Teammates and family members threw roses and softballs Wednesday into the farm pond where three North Dakota college softball players were found dead inside their sunken sp...

An Idaho woman accused of ramming her pickup into another car, then hurling ranch salad dressing at the vehicle, has pleaded guilty to aggravated battery. Tiffany M. Wallac...

Officials at a prison hospital say chronic medical problems are complicating a psychiatric evaluation for the 89-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a guard at Washing...

An Ohio man dressed as a Breathalyzer test for Halloween found himself blowing into one after police stopped him for allegedly driving the wrong way without headlights on a...

An Army veteran who authorities say threatened to go on a shooting rampage at a Veterans Affairs hospital in southern Illinois has been indicted on a gun charge.A fe...

Jim Stevens said he's not particularly religious and is clueless about why an image resembling Jesus Christ keeps appearing on his pickup. Stevens, of Jonesborough, said ne...

President Barack Obama challenged states Wednesday to get their education policies in line with his administration's priorities if they want a chance at $5 billion in grant...

Illinois was cleared Wednesday to start enforcing a long-debated parental notification law for teens seeking abortions, after more than a decade of legal challenges....

Federal prosecutors charged 53 people on Wednesday with running open-air drug markets at two housing projects near Yankee Stadium.Among the drugs for sale: Heroin wi...

A former member of a polygamist group has taken the stand in the sexual assault trial of the first group member tried since Texas authorities raided the group's ranch last ...

On a sunny fall Saturday, friends and neighbors gathered at Bobby Kendall's place to help him build a 2-foot barrier of sandbags around his suburban Seattle home. Such get-...

A state report released Wednesday blasts corrections officials for missing chances to catch the sex offender accused of holding Jaycee Dugard captive in his backyard for 18...

Hurricane watch for Nicaragua coast; Tropical Storm Ida strengthens, may make land Thursday ....

An explosion shook nearby homes as a fire broke out Wednesday at a refinery north of Salt Lake City. No injuries were reported, but one house was condemned.The blast...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that pigs in a commercial herd in Indiana have tested positive for swine flu, making it the first time the virus has been ...

A former handyman convicted of killing seven people during a robbery at a suburban Chicago fast-food restaurant in 1993 has been sentenced to life in prison.Thirty-s...

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:Nov. 3Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, on Congress and faulty Chinese drywall:Officials: Swine flu confirmed in Iowa cat

A 13-year-old Iowa cat has been infected with swine flu, veterinary and federal officials said Wednesday, and it is believed to be the first case of the H1N1 virus in a fel...

Scientists searching for Yellowstone National Park's lesser-known life forms — beyond its famed bison, bears and wolves — found more than 1,200 species, including sever...

Dr. James Wang says he tries to tell his patients when extra medical procedures aren't necessary. If they insist, though, he will do it — not so much to protect their hea...

Commuters biked, walked, juggled carpool schedules and hitched rides as the city's transit system ground to a near halt for a second day Wednesday, a rush worsened when a r...

A U.S. streetcar revival fared well in Tuesday's elections, with pro-trolley candidates for mayor in Cincinnati and Charlotte, N.C., winning. A critic of Boise's proposal l...

A convicted rapist who lived among 10 corpses was ordered held without bond Wednesday as investigators prepared to begin tearing apart walls inside the house in search of m...

A fire broke out at a refinery north of Salt Lake City on Wednesday, reportedly causing an explosion that damaged homes.There were no immediate reports of injuries a...

The lawyer for a Florida man who claims he's too fat to have killed his former son-in-law told jurors on Wednesday all they have to do is is look at his client to see that ...

After being robbed of his jacket, cell phone, keys and $300, a Pennsylvania man was left with the odd feeling that his assailants looked familiar. Police say that's because...

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff suspended his campaign for U.S. Senate on Wednesday, saying he needs to spend more time with a daughter who is experiencing severe ment...

California lawmakers on Wednesday passed an $11.1 billion overhaul of the state's antiquated water system in a bid to supply a soaring population while preserving a fragile...

A South Carolina man caught on video having sex with a horse was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after pleading guilty for the second time in two years to abus...

An Ohio village's Christmas parade has been canceled amid concerns over possible lawsuits, expected protests and logistical problems.Amelia Mayor Leroy Ellington sai...

A tropical depression has formed in the southwestern Caribbean, prompting storm warnings for the coast of Nicaragua and two Colombian islands.The National Hurricane ...

A convicted rapist who lived in a home with 10 bodies was ordered held without bond Wednesday as a prosecutor called him "an incredibly dangerous threat" and said he could ...

Shortly before 5 a.m. on March 24, Janet Greene's phone rang in her North Carolina home. A light sleeper, she grabbed it on the first ring, knowing it was likely to be from...

A relative of a crew member aboard a scallop boat that sank off the New Jersey coast in March says she got a satellite phone call from him just before the boat went down, k...

An Ohio woman who was implanted with the wrong embryo says she hopes to visit soon with the baby boy she delivered and turned over to his biological parents.Carolyn ...

The U.S. service sector grew for a second straight month in October, but at a slower pace than in September, as a broad economic recovery creeps along.The Institute ...

The state Assembly has approved an $11.4-billion bond to fund a comprehensive overhaul of California's antiquated water system.The measure passed before dawn Wednesd...

The Ohio Supreme Court has set two new execution dates even as the state continues to rework its procedures for putting condemned inmates to death by injection.The c...

A murdered young woman buried as Jane Doe in Colorado 55 years ago. An Arizona family puzzled and saddened as Dorothy Gay Howard's disappearance stretched into decades....

Cecelia Burnett and Ann Swanson had already set their wedding date. When they joined about 1,000 other gay marriage supporters for an election night party in a Holiday Inn ...

A rapist who lived at a Cleveland house where 10 bodies were found has been ordered held without bond.Anthony Sowell appeared Wednesday before Municipal Court Judge ...

2010 Audi S4 quattro MT6 sedanBASE PRICE: $45,900.AS TESTED: $51,575.TYPE: Front-engine, all-wheel drive, five-passenger, compact sport sedan.EN...

You don't see this very often: a car company dropping a V-8 engine from a performance car and replacing it with a V-6. But German automaker Audi does it in its 2010 S4 comp...

Three college softball players found dead after their sport utility vehicle went into a pond on a North Dakota farm during a stargazing trip likely drove straight into the ...

Authorities say three North Dakota college students found dead in a Jeep submerged in a rural pond likely didn't see the water while on a stargazing trip.Stark Count...

A Philadelphia commuter train caught fire Wednesday, complicating the morning rush already hampered by the city's transit strike. Officials said no injuries were reported.<...

When the Rev. Tom Eggebeen took over as interim pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church three years ago, he looked around and knew it needed a jump start.Most of his ...

A Michigan judge says a man who claims he was chased, shot and beaten by workers at a store he'd just robbed can sue the men. But only if he comes up with $10,000 within tw...

Voters have defeated a measure to allow advertising signs and billboards along a small area on one of San Francisco's major roadways.Proposition D would have allowed...

Mild weather was expected over the Central U.S. as light showers continued over the Great Lakes on Wednesday.A weak low pressure system was forecast to track eastwar...

Three North Dakota college softball players believed to have been on a stargazing trip were found dead inside a Jeep after signals from their last desperate phone calls hel...

One of the biggest questions surrounding Jaycee Dugard's kidnapping is how her alleged captor managed to keep her hidden from authorities for 18 years even as he was being ...

Rocketing into space? Some think an elevator might be the way to go.That's the future goal of this week's $2 million Space Elevator Games in the Mojave Desert.NM calf fitted with prosthetic legs, Melanie Dabovich

Meadow the yearling Black Angus calf spends her days frolicking in northeastern New Mexico's cattle country, all with her prosthetic hind legs.The bucolic scene seem...

Police are expanding their search of a convicted rapist's neighborhood and his neatly kept home, where 10 bodies have been found in the basement, buried in the backyard, in...

Here's a look at the states where the most land is being released from the federal Conservation Reserve Program:_ Texas, 3.85 million acres active; 644,025 acres exp...

A murdered young woman buried as Jane Doe in Colorado 55 years ago. An Arizona family puzzled and saddened as Dorothy Gay Howard's disappearance stretched into decades....

Cecelia Burnett and Ann Swanson had already set their wedding date. When they joined about 1,000 other gay marriage supporters for an election night party in a Holiday Inn ...

The first day of a transit strike caused widespread delays and frustrated thousands of commuters who had to find other ways to get around Pennsylvania's largest city.La. judge done after flap over interracial wedding, Melinda Deslatte

At least four times in the last 2 1/2 years, Keith Bardwell says he refused to marry interracial couples while serving as a Louisiana justice of the peace.He said fr...

Police in the Denver suburb of Edgewater say a man stabbed himself, then said he was attacked by three men dressed in black who were either Hispanic or skinheads, in a ploy...