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Home prices down 15.8%; confidence ticks up

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 4:30pm GMT

A closely watched housing index shows home prices fell by the steepest rate ever in May, as the housing slump continued to deepen ...

Shooting suspect hated liberals

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 4:15pm GMT

The man accused of shooting and killing two people in a Knoxville church Sunday wrote that he hated liberals and was bitter he ...

L.A. council poised to ban fast food in poor neighborhood

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 4:11pm GMT

In the impoverished neighborhood of South Los Angeles, fast food is the easiest cuisine to find and that's a problem for elected ...

Tenn. church tries to recover after shooting

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 4:08pm GMT

Three people wounded in a fatal shotgun rampage at a Unitarian church were in serious condition Tuesday, a day after a candlelight ...

At the beach, algae blooms threaten health

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 4:06pm GMT

Man-made pollution isn't the only thing to worry about at the beach. Add harmful algae blooms to the list.

Video released in Texas Gov. Mansion fire

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 3:58pm GMT

The Texas Department of Public Safety is releasing snippets of video that show a possible suspect in the June fire at the Governor's ...

Gas prices drive push to reinvent America's suburbs

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 3:20pm GMT

Mayor Tony Smith proudly waves a thank-you letter from a major builder telling him that no city has ever reached out to him in ...

Like suburbs, large cities are rethinking growth patterns

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 3:19pm GMT

Outlying suburbs aren't the only places rethinking growth and development patterns amid mushrooming costs of gasoline and other ...

Wildfire threatens homes and vacations in Yosemite

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 3:17pm GMT

Visitors to Yosemite National Park weighed whether to cut their vacations short Tuesday as a destructive wildfire raging miles ...

Judge: Fla. workers can keep guns in cars

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 2:29pm GMT

A federal judge says Florida employees can keep guns locked in their cars while at work for now.

Writing is on the wall for doctors' e-prescriptions

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 11:47am GMT

The move to get doctors to file prescriptions electronically is gathering steam and may get a further boost from new Medicare ...

NYC mayor warns of $2.3B budget gap, subsequent cuts

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 11:32am GMT

The economic downturn and slumping real estate market have left the city facing a $2.3 billion budget shortfall in the next fiscal ...

Veterans of Gulf hurricanes race to Iowa

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 3:22am GMT

Gulf Coast residents who endured Hurricanes Katrina and Rita survived the worst a storm could muster, helped by thousands of ...

Drop in homeless count seen as 'success story'

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 3:15am GMT

The U.S. had 12% fewer homeless last year than in 2005, and the greatest decline occurred among those who chronically live on ...

U.S. drivers log 9.6B fewer miles in May

Posted: July 29th, 2008, 2:56am GMT

Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer miles in May than in May 2007, a 3.7% decline and the largest drop in vehicle miles traveled ...

Fire destroys 12 homes near Yosemite National Park

Posted: July 28th, 2008, 1:24pm GMT

Hot weather hampered efforts to contain a fast-moving wildfire near an entrance to Yosemite National Park that had already destroyed ...

22,000 vets call suicide hotline in its opening year

Posted: July 28th, 2008, 12:17pm GMT

More than 22,000 veterans have sought help from a special suicide hotline in its first year, and 1,221 suicides have been averted, ...

2 dead, 7 wounded in Tenn. church shooting

Posted: July 28th, 2008, 11:51am GMT

Police were trying Sunday to determine why a man blasted a shotgun at congregants of a Tennessee church as children were putting ...

Libraries adapted to digital age

Posted: July 28th, 2008, 11:34am GMT

The Internet was supposed to send America's public libraries the way of eight-track tapes and pay phones. But it turns out, they're ...

Day after apology, WWII vet dies

Posted: July 28th, 2008, 4:52am GMT

Samuel Snow, one of 28 black soldiers who were wrongly convicted in a riot and lynching of an Italian World War II prisoner in ...

Toll roads take cashless route

Posted: July 28th, 2008, 4:10am GMT

The American tollbooth is sliding toward oblivion as the nation moves toward pay-to-drive highways that don't accept cash.

Hands-on experience can save lives

Posted: July 28th, 2008, 3:21am GMT

On a recent rainy Saturday, I learned many things.

One dead, 8 hurt in Tenn. church shooting

Posted: July 27th, 2008, 8:40pm GMT

A man wielding a shotgun entered a church and opened fire as congregants watched a youth performance Sunday, killing one person ...

More firefighters en route to Calif. wildfire

Posted: July 27th, 2008, 7:35pm GMT

A fast-spreading wildfire raged out of control Sunday near an entrance to California's Yosemite National Park after forcing residents ...

Floods strip Midwest of tons of valuable topsoil

Posted: July 27th, 2008, 6:03pm GMT

Jim Lankford's corn crops used to stretch to the White River. Now the river has stretched itself through his crops.

Gasoline price drop continues, to $3.970 Sunday, AAA says

Posted: July 27th, 2008, 3:31pm GMT

The nationwide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline has fallen below $4 for the first time since June 6, according ...

No angry lines of customers after bank takeover

Posted: July 27th, 2008, 11:34am GMT

Customers of two banks closed by federal regulators were assured that every penny of their money was protected, preventing lines ...

Miami's vice? City at bottom in volunteering

Posted: July 27th, 2008, 10:56am GMT

Blame it on the traffic. Or the number of new immigrants. Or the allure of the beach. Whatever the reason, Miami has secured ...

Hurricane Dolly remnants bring downpour to El Paso

Posted: July 27th, 2008, 1:46am GMT

Heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Dolly is closing streets and flooding homes in El Paso, and is blamed for causing the ...

Bodies of missing R.I. couple found in septic tank

Posted: July 27th, 2008, 12:06am GMT

Police have found the bodies of a missing Rhode Island couple in a septic tank in their yard.

Navajo tribe bans commercial tobacco use

Posted: July 26th, 2008, 11:43pm GMT

The Navajo Nation Council has banned commercial tobacco in public places on the reservation including such outdoor venues as ...

Impact on wildlife limited in Miss. River spill

Posted: July 26th, 2008, 9:25pm GMT

A large fuel spill that shut down the mouth of the Mississippi River for four days has had a limited impact on wildlife so far, ...

Oil spill idles 200 ships near New Orleans

Posted: July 26th, 2008, 9:14pm GMT

About 200 ships were stacked up Friday and more were expected to join them at a bottleneck along the Mississippi River caused ...

State-by-state update on bridge conditions

Posted: July 26th, 2008, 9:13pm GMT

After the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis plunged into the Mississippi River last Aug. 1, transportation departments across ...

Sugar maker fined $8.7M in deadly blast

Posted: July 26th, 2008, 9:12pm GMT

A Georgia lawmaker says federal officials are proposing $8.7 million in fines against Imperial Sugar for violations at a plant ...

Trade, military and air quality collide off Calif.

Posted: July 26th, 2008, 9:11pm GMT

The vast Point Mugu Sea Range off Southern California is an oceanic no man's land, an ideal spot in international waters for ...

Funeral for missing U.S. soldier includes city procession

Posted: July 26th, 2008, 9:08pm GMT

The city that hoped for the best but learned the worst showed its respect Saturday for Army Staff Sgt. Alex Jimenez, whose body ...

State-by-state update on bridge conditions, funds

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 3:31pm GMT

After the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis plunged into the Mississippi River last Aug. 1, transportation departments across ...

'Last lecture' prof dies at 47

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 3:30pm GMT

Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet ...

Oil spill idles 200 ships near New Orleans

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 3:22pm GMT

About 200 ships were stacked up Friday and more were expected to join them at a bottleneck along the Mississippi River caused ...

Arrest made in Ariz. community college shooting

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 1:16pm GMT

A former student shot three people Thursday in a computer room at a Phoenix community college, injuring one of them critically, ...

Heart drug's safety scrutinized

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 4:42am GMT

A study that links Vytorin to cancer has provoked controversy among heart specialists worried that the drug's risks may outweigh ...

Amish also feel strain of high fuel costs

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 4:39am GMT

The Amish, widely known for their horse-drawn buggies and a lifestyle shunning modern conveniences, are as susceptible to the ...

Billions needed to shore up nation's bridges

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 4:09am GMT

States beefed up bridge inspections following a fatal collapse in Minneapolis last year, but they aren't coming up with the money ...

South Texas cleans up after Dolly

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 3:59am GMT

Residents across South Texas slogged through knee-deep muddy waters and dug through debris Thursday, but were thankful that Dolly ...

Lawmakers look at sex offenders in nursing homes

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 3:29am GMT

States are reviewing notification procedures for sex offenders living in long-term care facilities as some nursing homes see ...

Bridge-work needs outweigh funds in Pennsylvania

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 3:26am GMT

Pennsylvania exemplifies the challenges that states face in maintaining and repairing aging bridges.

Bilbray: Suspect's release in Mexico 'a huge blunder'

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 2:54am GMT

Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Calf., is accusing the Bush administration of failing to own up to "a huge blunder" that led to the release ...

Virginia executes killer who challenged injections

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 2:00am GMT

A killer who argued that Virginia's procedures for lethal injection were unconstitutional has been executed after a federal appeals ...

Miss. River spill idles ships near New Orleans

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 1:53am GMT

Dozens of ships stacked up Thursday near a closed stretch of the Mississippi River, a day after a barge and tanker collision ...

Aircraft for space tourism to be unveiled

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 1:20am GMT

Aerospace engineers have been holed up in a Mojave Desert hangar for four years, fashioning a commercial spaceship to loft rich ...

Grizzly bear attacks woman near Alaska lodge

Posted: July 25th, 2008, 12:58am GMT

A 21-year-old woman working at an Alaskan lodge for the summer was attacked by a grizzly bear about 25 yards outside a building.

Tropical Storm Dolly takes aim on South Texas

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 1:12pm GMT

Tropical Storm Dolly drenched the Yucatan Peninsula on Monday and was poised to plunge into the Gulf of Mexico, where it could ...

Study: Ailing truckers causing fatal wrecks

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 12:47pm GMT

Hundreds of thousands of tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States carry commercial driver's licenses despite also ...

Sister: Missing Fort Bliss soldier found alive

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 10:20am GMT

A Fort Bliss soldier considered missing and endangered has been found hurt but alive, her sister said Monday. Tammy Skelton said ...

Air Force bomber carrying 6 crashes off Guam

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 9:58am GMT

Rescue crews were searching a vast area of floating debris and a sheen of oil Monday for crewmembers of an Air Force B-52 bomber ...

Boston lightning strike injures 10 at soccer match

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 9:53am GMT

Authorities say a lightning strike has injured 10 people taking shelter under a tree during a thunderstorm at a soccer game.

More golf carts leaving greens

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 5:27am GMT

As gas prices climb, more cities across the USA are allowing electric golf carts on public streets.

Site makes strides to score walkable cities

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 5:20am GMT

When Susan Arterian Chang returned to White Plains, N.Y., after three years in London, she wanted to free her family from the ...

Ill. police fire pepper balls into mob, arrest 9 at fair

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 4:54am GMT

Police in central Illinois say they fired pepper balls into an angry mob of about 100 people who were fighting during the last ...

College choice is twin dilemma

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 4:51am GMT

College choices can be "vexing" for twins, says professor Nancy Segal at California State University-Fullerton. "Society has ...

Fuel prices leave boaters docked

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 4:31am GMT

High gasoline prices are forcing boaters to cut back on their miles and spend more time at the marina.

Women 'priests' to pressure Catholic church

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 2:42am GMT

An activist group hoping to pressure the Roman Catholic church into dropping its prohibition of female priests says it ordained ...

Tropical Storm Cristobal wanes, then hello, Dolly!

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 2:36am GMT

The slow-footed Tropical Storm Cristobal continued to dump rain on North Carolina's coastline Sunday, while the newly named Tropical ...

Paulson braces public for more tough times

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 1:36am GMT

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson sought to reassure an anxious public Sunday that the banking system is sound, while also bracing ...

Be prepared for disasters

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 1:30am GMT

In a never-used bathtub in my home, I have two bins containing food, first-aid supplies, batteries and red duct tape.

Mass. patient tested for mad cow disease

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 1:06am GMT

Public health officials in Massachusetts are investigating whether a patient in a Cape Cod hospital has the human form of mad ...

Horrendous conditions found at nation's biggest jail

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 5:47am GMT

A federal investigation of the nation's largest single-site county jail has uncovered serious sanitation and medical care problems, ...

A 540-calorie Big Mac? N.Y. chains post calorie info

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 5:44am GMT

Customers at big fast-food chains in New York City are finally facing the facts about their meal choices. And for some, the truth ...

Officials: Crane collapse in Houston kills 4

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 3:59am GMT

One of the largest mobile cranes in the United States collapsed at a Houston oil refinery Friday, killing four workers and injuring ...

Police: Missing Texas soldier may be in danger

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 3:34am GMT

Police say a Fort Bliss soldier is considered in danger after she did not report for work Friday and evidence of foul play was ...

Judge: Return gray wolves to endangered list

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 3:29am GMT

A federal judge in Montana has ordered that gray wolves in the northern Rockies be returned to the endangered species list.

FBI: Flight diverted as soccer team helps subdue naked man

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 2:20am GMT

An American Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles was diverted to Oklahoma City on Friday after a passenger stripped nude ...

Plane overshoots O'Hare runway; no injuries

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 2:07am GMT

Authorities say no one was hurt when a Mexicana Airlines flight overshot a runway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Gunman kills ex-girlfriend, self in N.Y. office

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 1:47am GMT

Authorities say a man shot his ex-girlfriend to death in her Long Island office before turning the gun on himself. A supervisor ...

WTC site will be open again to families this 9/11

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 1:17am GMT

Sept. 11 victims' families will be able to mourn their loved ones at the World Trade Center site again on the terrorist attacks' ...

Judge: Water delivery system harms Calif. salmon

Posted: July 19th, 2008, 12:14am GMT

A federal judge has ruled that California's water systems threaten to push native salmon into extinction, but stopped short ...

Army shoots live pigs in Hawaii in training drill for Iraq

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 11:39pm GMT

The Army says it's critical to saving the lives of wounded soldiers. Animal-rights activists call the training cruel and outdated.

Family of slain N.C. woman plan return to Canada

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 9:43pm GMT

The parents of a North Carolina mother found slain near her home tearfully asked Friday for the culprit to show "a shred of decency" ...

Pastor launches 'Gossip Free' campaign

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 7:50pm GMT

A Michigan pastor is urging people to go "Gossip Free" for at least eight days starting on 8-8-08, but said it's never too early ...

System off Southeast could become tropical depression

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 7:22pm GMT

A storm off the Southeast coast sent bands of blustery weather into Georgia and South Carolina on Friday, and forecasters warned ...

Facebook used as character evidence, lands some in jail

Posted: July 17th, 2008, 1:02am GMT

In the age of the Internet, social networking sites have yielded critical character evidence for prosecutors.

Why time off is time well spent for your health

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 5:06pm GMT

Taking vacation days at home or skipping them altogether may increase risk of heart disease, tension, depression, fatigue and ...

Can middle-aged mortals achieve Olympic fitness?

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 4:59pm GMT

The chiseled body of Olympic swimmer Dara Torres, 41, at the U.S. Olympic trials made some middle-aged people wonder whether ...

Oak Ridge, Tenn., former uranium plant evacuated

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 4:20pm GMT

Workers have been evacuated from a former uranium enrichment plant in Tennessee after yellow smoke was seen coming out of a ventilation ...

Salmonella fears take zing out of pepper biz

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 4:14pm GMT

Imports of jalapeo peppers from Mexico have slowed amid government testing for salmonella, and importers say shortages are likely ...

Old-fashioned docs inspire new 'medical homes'

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 4:05pm GMT

Government and private insurers are experimenting with an idea to cut costs and make patients happier: Paying primary-care doctors ...

Vitamin D tests soar as deficiency, diseases linked

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 4:00pm GMT

Testing for vitamin D levels has skyrocketed as studies raise awareness about vitamin D deficiencies, according to three of the ...

City for sale: A nice fixer-upper

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 3:33pm GMT

White's City, all 366 acres of it near Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, can be yours. The land and all the buildings ...

Dead Army nurse's husband charged with arson

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 3:27pm GMT

The husband of a Fort Bragg Army nurse whose remains were found in a brush fire three days after she went missing has been charged ...

Some text messages sealed in Detroit mayor case

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 3:00pm GMT

A judge says he has decided not to make public a number of the text messages involved in the perjury and misconduct case against ...

More Californians get to return home after wildfires

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 2:04pm GMT

More Californians returned Monday to homes they fled when wildfires threatened, and a scenic coastal highway was open to traffic ...

Search for adventurer Fossett to resume in Nevada

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 9:51am GMT

A 10-member team of elite athletes and expert mountaineers hopes to do what search planes and satellite imagery couldn't find ...

Worth the risk? Debate on offshore drilling heats up

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 5:26am GMT

Environmental hazard or energy bonanza: Oil and natural gas trapped beneath the USA's ocean floor mean different things to different ...

Venezuelans celebrate fifth Miss Universe win

Posted: July 14th, 2008, 4:46am GMT

Venezuelans are celebrating their fifth

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