Today is Friday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2010. There are 329 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On Feb. 5, 1937, President Franklin D. ...

A New York City fourth-grader was sent to the principal's office and nearly suspended for bringing a 2-inch toy gun to school.Nine-year-old Patrick Timoney and a fri...

Records show that Sarah Palin hasn't paid any property taxes on cabins that have been built on two backcountry plots partially owned by the former Alaska governor.Th...

Prosecutors say they're investigating a case in which several Colorado middle school students distributed a text message photo of a nude 12-year-old girl.El Paso Dis...

Prosecutors have determined the former spokesman for California Attorney General Jerry Brown did not break the law when he secretly recorded phone conversations with report...

Prosecutors have determined the former spokesman for California Attorney General Jerry Brown did not break the law when he secretly recorded phone conversations with report...

A defense lawyer says a couple accused of abducting a girl more than 18 years ago and confining her to the backyard of their California home are seeking permission to visit...

A California man is facing several years in prison after authorities say he threw a Molotov cocktail at a tattoo parlor after employees refused to draw on his chest an offe...

Police say a Massachusetts man who stuffed 75 bottles of body lotion in his pants couldn't slip away from authorities, hampered by slacks that were nearly bursting at the s...

A Honolulu prosecutor says a man charged in the death of a 23-month-old boy was high on crystal meth when he tossed the boy from an overpass but his defense attorney sugges...

A former New York City counterterrorism detective who says he was unfairly fired as a result of a failed drug test he blamed on his wife's marijuana-spiked meatballs has lo...

An Oahu motorist accused of running over and killing a woman in the drive-through lane of a fast-food restaurant has been indicted for manslaughter.Thirty-six-year-o...

Republican lawmakers in California are seeking a ballot initiative to suspend California's landmark law to cut greenhouse gas emissions.The secretary of state's offi...

Federal agents have arrested the former owner of a California food company charged in an alleged price-fixing plot that prosecutors say involved buyers for some of the nati...

Salt Lake County prosecutors charged a 70-year-old woman with murder on Thursday in the fatal shooting of her daughter-in-law.Court papers say a witness saw Mary Nan...

Your most expensive piece of electronics probably is not your flat panel TV or your computer. More likely, it's your car, which can pack 50 microprocessors to control every...

Self-help guru James Arthur Ray says it was all a tragic accident when his followers began collapsing one by one in a sweat lodge at his retreat, with three of them dying. ...

The mayor of Los Angeles has ordered the immediate layoff of 1,000 city employees to help to balance the city's budget.Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (vee-ah-reye-GOH'-s...

A Colorado handyman who was mistaken for a burglar and nearly shot by a police officer says he forgives the officer but thinks the situation went "a little overboard."<...

Records show that Sarah Palin has not paid any property taxes on cabins that have been built on two backcountry plots partially owned by the former Alaska governor.I...

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his brother were charged Thursday in a fresh corruption indictment that contains no new allegations of misconduct but that prosecut...

Michigan wants the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its refusal to close Chicago-area shipping locks in hopes of keeping Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.State Atto...

A grand jury on Thursday declined to indict a white police officer who shot an elderly black man in the small Louisiana town of Homer in a case that heightened racial tensi...

Sire Records founder Seymour Stein is helping Manhattan prosecutors detail his ex-wife's last day alive — and the activities of the personal assistant accused of murderin...

A storm expected to dump up to 2 feet of snow in parts of the Mid-Atlantic, including Washington, D.C., was already pelting the Southeast with heavy rain Thursday.Vi...

Authorities have filed a first-degree murder charge against a suspected shooter in last week's slaying of an Arizona police officer during a traffic stop.Maricopa Co...

A mentally ill New York man who spent nearly six years behind bars for a 1976 rape he insisted he didn't commit was exonerated Thursday after DNA testing showed he was inno...

A federal judge will decide whether to impose sanctions against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for its acknowledged destruction of police records in a lawsuit that ac...

Federal appellate judges wrestling with whether schools can discipline students for Internet speech posted offsite reached different rulings Thursday in two Pennsylvania ca...

There was blood in the water, the sharks were circling and a grievously hurt Stephen Schafer — his thigh gashed and his hand mauled — was screaming in pain by the time ...

Gov. Mike Rounds said Thursday he pushed for federal action that would help South Dakota develop ethanol plants and wind-generated electrical power when he met this week wi...

A South Carolina man was distraught over drawn-out divorce proceedings and a recent order to sell a home he co-owned with his ex-wife when he killed the woman's attorney an...

Climate change might be wiping out some populations of the American pika, a relative of the rabbit, but not enough to warrant legal protection for the tiny mountain-dwellin...

The Who gave an energetic, acoustic preview of Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show Thursday_ but things turned serious when Pete Townshend defended himself against some child...

Life has never been so good off the planet, and it's about to get better.Just two weeks after the arrival of the Internet, the space station astronauts are getting a...

They were treated like pop idols — except for being stuck in travel crates.Adoring crowds and television viewers watched Thursday as American-born giant pandas Mei...

For decades there was only one way to use the humble ketchup packet, and it was messy. Now, fast-food lovers have a choice: the traditional squeeze play — or the option t...

A radioactive substance recently found in groundwater monitoring wells at a Vermont nuclear plant has turned up again at levels more than nine times those previously report...

A daughter of a 70-year-old Washington state man said Thursday she was stunned to hear her father was behind the wheel of a speeding vehicle that crashed into a southern Ne...

A federal judge declared a mistrial Thursday in the case of an alleged drug cartel hit man after a jury in the Texas-Mexico border town of Laredo acquitted him on a gun cha...

Residents of Northern California's Humboldt County were rocked by a magnitude-5.9 earthquake Thursday, but officials said there were no immediate reports of major injury or...

A Taiwanese man has been arrested on charges of exporting a series of prohibited items to Iran, including missile components and engines that can be used in unmanned milita...

The nation's first double hand transplant recipient has symptoms of rejection and is back in a Pittsburgh hospital, yet his wife and doctor say he's doing fine.Jeff ...

An Illinois State Police trooper involved in the original investigation of the 2004 death of Drew Peterson's ex-wife testified Thursday that he quickly suspected it was a h...

The teen fashion chain Aeropostale and outlet stores of upscale Saks Fifth Avenue have pulled from shelves necklaces that an environmental group's tests showed have high le...

A magnitude-6.0 earthquake has struck off the coast of Northern California's Humboldt County, but officials say there are no immediate reports of major damage or injury.Officials: Herbie the tree was 217 years old

The giant tree nicknamed "Herbie" — New England's champion elm — was 217 years old when it was cut down, the Maine Forest Service said Thursday.The revised age m...

A man has pleaded guilty to charges he spray-painted swastikas and spread fliers reading "Kill All Jews" around his Brooklyn neighborhood.Brooklyn prosecutors said T...

Motivational speaker James Arthur Ray pleaded not guilty Thursday to three counts of manslaughter at his first court appearance since being charged with causing three death...

A U.S. appeals court says Pennsylvania school students can be disciplined for creating MySpace parodies of school officials at home — but only if they are likely to disru...

The government is expected to decide whether a tiny, mountain-dwelling mammal should become the first animal in the continental U.S. to get federal protections primarily be...

An immigration hearing for President Barack Obama's African aunt ended Thursday without an immediate decision in her second bid for asylum in the United States.Kenya...

An Illinois State Police trooper says he was disgusted by the investigation into the death of former police officer Drew Peterson's third wife.Master Sgt. Bryan Fala...

The leader of the country's largest university thinks it's time to re-examine how professors are awarded tenure, a type of job-for-life protection virtually unknown outside...

A replacement for the scandal-plagued Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon has been sworn in after Dixon was sentenced to probation for lying about gifts she received.Thirty...

Brittany Murphy died from pneumonia, but anemia and prescription drugs also played a role, coroner's officials said Thursday.The primary cause of death was community...

Authorities say a 78-year-old woman died of hypothermia after she and her husband took a wrong turn in Northern California and got stranded.Police say Harold and Raq...

Spurned Pluto is changing its looks, donning more rouge in its complexion and altering its iceball surface here and there.Color astronomers surprised.Newly re...

With each major ice storm in Oklahoma, the question seems to resurface: Why not bury the power lines?The issue has come up again as electricity trickles back on in s...

The one-time lover and former chief of staff to ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has found a job and will be moving from Detroit in the coming days.Defense attorney...

A lifeguard who rescued the victim of a shark attack off Florida's Atlantic coast said Thursday he could see several sharks breaking the surface and blood in the water as h...

The state of Washington is not fulfilling its constitutional duty to fully pay for basic public education, a King County judge ruled Thursday.The decision from Super...

A Mexican drug kingpin who led a fearsome cartel for more than a decade was sentenced Thursday to 17 years in prison for trafficking drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border.Former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi dies at 89

Frank Fasi, who served as Honolulu mayor for 22 years and ran unsuccessfully for Hawaii governor five times, has died at home. He was 89.Fasi's son, David, issued an...

Eight Texas churches barely 150 miles apart have caught fire since New Year's Day, putting pastors and congregations on edge and on guard wondering whether theirs is next.<...

A 70-year-old Washington state man has been freed on $6,000 bail pending arraignment on felony charges in a deadly Nevada casino crash that killed two people and injured at...

Socialite Casey Johnson died of a complication of diabetes, the Los Angeles County coroner said Thursday.Johnson, 30, an heir to the Johnson & Johnson health car...

The New York Attorney General's office said Thursday it filed civil charges against Bank of America and its former CEO Ken Lewis, saying the bank misled investors about Mer...

Authorities say a 70-year-old Washington state man has been freed on $6,000 bail after his speeding vehicle crashed into a Nevada casino, killing two people and injuring se...

Questioning the Supreme Court and other government branches needs to stay within the range of fair criticism or "run the risk in our society of undermining institutions tha...

Peyton Manning barks out the name of the play: "TRIPS RIGHT 255 X BLOCK SLANT H DISCO ALERT 12 TRAP."The Colts pivot into position. He starts to call signals for the...

President Barack Obama's African aunt testified on her own behalf at a closed hearing Thursday in U.S. Immigration Court, making another bid for asylum because of what her ...

The Defense Department will investigate complaints of substandard mental health care for Marines at Camp Lejeune, according to a North Carolina congressman Thursday who had...

Federal prosecutors have filed papers that would pave the way for a former Intel executive to make a plea in a massive insider trading case.The prosecutors' filing T...

It's the mystery under the kitchen sink.Exactly what's in floor cleaner? What's stain remover made of? And what effects, if any, might they have on human health or t...

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas told Florida law students that corporations and unions have a First Amendment right to spend money on political candidates.Attorney says Jackson's doc is talking surrender, Anthony Mccartney And Thomas Watkins

The attorney for Michael Jackson's doctor says he is negotiating his client's surrender to Los Angeles County authorities.A statement Thursday from attorney Ed Chern...

Comptroller Dan Hynes has conceded in Illinois' Democratic primary race for governor, giving the party nomination to Gov. Pat Quinn, who already declared victory.Spo...

USGS reports magnitude-6.0 earthquake about 35 miles off Humboldt County coast....

A man who died in a shark attack while kiteboarding off South Florida's Atlantic coast was experienced on the water and usually went out with a buddy, his friend said Thurs...

A young man who opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon inside a farm supply store before turning the weapon on himself entered without ammunition and obtained bullets at t...

Ohio on Thursday executed a man who bragged that he would copy a killing scene from a violent movie, then shot a convenience store owner and a clerk to death.Mark Br...

NASA is counting down toward Sunday's launch of space shuttle Endeavour.The countdown clocks began ticking early Thursday.Endeavour and a crew of six are all ...

The bullying by classmates and taunts of "homo" only got worse after Jacob began dyeing his hair and wearing eyeliner in eighth grade. One student scrawled "I hope you die"...

Vallejo police say a woman was hospitalized after she was found shot inside her ice cream truck near a middle school.Sgt. Kevin Bartlett says police discovered 39-ye...

A 70-year-old Washington state man was in jail Thursday after his speeding vehicle crashed into a Nevada casino, killing two people and injuring at least seven others.<...

Former President Bill Clinton is making his second trip to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.Clinton will depart for the island nation on Friday. He'll meet with its leaders,...

Authorities say the body of a toddler found dead in a Virginia landfill is that of a 2-year-old who was reported missing last month by his stepfather.Roanoke police ...

Officials say one person died, two emergency responders were hospitalized and nine others were treated after being overcome by carbon monoxide in central Kansas.Fire...

President Barack Obama's African aunt showed up in a wheelchair Thursday, a cane across her lap, for a hearing in U.S. Immigration Court to make another bid for asylum beca...

Among states, California arguably has the most to gain from an overhaul of its health care system: it has the greatest number of uninsured residents in the country and the ...

Republican Scott Brown may be taking over Democrat Edward Kennedy's Senate seat, but not his desk.An aide says Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is claiming the mahogany...

A man opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon inside an Illinois farm supply store Wednesday, sending customers and employees bolting for exits and seeking cover before he ...

A child welfare caseworker visited the home of two young brothers the day before police say their mother stabbed them to death, officials said Wednesday.There was no...

Severe weather could sweep through the Southeast on Thursday, while widespread scattered precipitation was expected over most of the Central U.S.A strong low pressur...

Sharks have killed a kite surfer off an Atlantic beach in a rare fatal attack in Florida waters.The Martin County Sheriff's Office said a lifeguard first saw 38-year...

A man who lived next door has been arrested in a house explosion and fire in Cleveland that caused widespread damage.Police spokesman Sgt. Sammy Morris says 57-year-...

Workers involved in building and operating New York University's Middle East campus in Abu Dhabi must have protections in areas such as how often they are paid and how many...

Months after authorities focused a homicide investigation on James Arthur Ray, the motivational speaker was indicted on manslaughter charges that could land him in prison a...

The tip-off was the sunglasses.A New Yorker faces a $135 traffic fine for using a mannequin as her "plus one" in the high-occupancy vehicle lane of the Long Island E...

Donald Trump is at odds with officials in Rancho Palos Verdes over weddings at an oceanfront park next to his Trump National Golf Club.Couples can pay less than $1,0...

True to form, Aafia Siddiqui did not go quietly.Throughout a federal trial that featured compelling testimony about a perplexing case, the Pakistani scientist-turned...

A 70-year-old man told police he fainted before his speeding vehicle plowed into a Nevada casino, killing two people near a bank of slot machines and injuring at least eigh...

Among states, California arguably has the most to gain from an overhaul of its health care system: it has the greatest number of uninsured residents in the country and the ...

More than seven months after Michael Jackson's death from an anesthetic overdose — and following days of heightened speculation — the pop singer's doctor will be arraig...

Michael Jackson's doctor is set to be arraigned Friday on a charge connected to the pop singer's death, a source told The Associated Press on Wednesday.Dr. Conrad Mu...

Motivational speaker James Arthur Ray was arrested Wednesday on manslaughter charges after three people died following a northern Arizona sweat lodge ceremony he led last y...

Two giant pandas born in American zoos were headed to China by special cargo jet Thursday to become part of a breeding program in their endangered species' native land....

A speeding car crashed through the entrance of a casino and into a bank of slot machines Wednesday in the southern Nevada resort town of Laughlin, killing two patrons and i...

President Barack Obama's African aunt is going before a Massachusetts immigration judge for a second time to argue she should be allowed to stay in the United States.