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Late-season hurricane takes aim at US Gulf Coast - 11/08/2009
Hurricane Ida, the first Atlantic hurricane to target the United States this year, plodded Sunday toward the Gulf Coast with 105 mph winds, bringing the threat of flooding and storm surges. A hurricane watch extended over more than 200 miles of coastline across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Lo

Lieberman: Senate to investigate Ft. Hood shooting - 11/08/2009
A key U.S. senator called Sunday for an investigation into whether the Army missed signs that the man accused of opening fire at Fort Hood had embraced an increasingly extremist view of Islamic ideology. Sen. Joe Lieberman's call came as word surfaced that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan apparently attended the same Virginia mosque as two Sept

Investigator: Utah explosion caused by burst pipe - 11/08/2009
A refinery explosion that severely damaged 10 homes this week was caused by a burst pipe that sprayed hydrogen gas onto a nearby heater, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's lead investigator said. Donald Holmstrom said investigators don't know why the pipe suffered what he called a "catastrophic failure." He said the safety boa

AP News in Brief - 11/08/2009
Democrat senators divided on government health insurance, so House's bill has nowhere to go WASHINGTON (AP) _ The glow from a health care triumph faded quickly for President Barack Obama on Sunday as Democrats realized the bill they fought so hard to pass in the House has nowhere to go in the Senate. Speaking from the Rose

Fort victims had different reasons for enlisting - 11/08/2009
The 13 people killed when an Army psychiatrist allegedly opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, included several people who shared the same profession as the alleged shooter, a father of three with ties to Laos whose family had a history of military service, a civilian who had returned to work a week after suffering a heart attack,

Philly transit strike in 6th day; no new talks - 11/08/2009
Commuters in the City of Brotherly Love have been told to gear up to begin a second week of finding other ways to work following the collapse of a proposed deal to end a six-day-old strike by about 5,000 bus drivers, subway and trolley conductors and mechanics. The largest union representing workers of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Tr

Earthquake measuring 6.7 reported near Indonesia - 11/08/2009
A strong earthquake was reported in the ocean off Indonesia on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake measured a magnitude of 6.7, the survey reported. It hit at 3:41 a.m. local time (1941 GMT) It struck at a depth of 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) and had its epicenter about 10 miles (15 kilometers) north-northwest

Onlookers flock to site of Cleveland killings - 11/08/2009
Reggie Turner stopped by a growing memorial to 11 victims of an alleged serial killer because he knew one of the women. Michelle Lee came to pay her respects as a mother and grandmother. Mark Mason and two buddies rode their motorcycles to just take a look. The street corner opposite the home dubbed Cleveland's "House of Horrors'

Expanding drug treatment: Is US ready to step up? - 11/08/2009
Based on the rhetoric, America's war on drugs seems poised to shift into a more enlightened phase where treatment of addicts gains favor over imprisonment of low-level offenders. Questions abound, however, about the nation's readiness to turn the talk into reality. The economic case for expanding treatment, especially amid a recession

Utah girl's pierced nose: US-Indian culture clash - 11/08/2009
To 12-year-old Suzannah Pabla, piercing her nose was a way to connect with her roots in India. To Suzannah's school, it was a dress-code violation worthy of a suspension. To other Indians, the incident was emblematic of how it can still be difficult for the American melting pot to absorb certain aspects of their cultural and religious

Ill. prosecutors seek journalism students' grades - 11/08/2009
A Northwestern University professor and journalism students who spent three years investigating the case of a man convicted in the 1978 killing of a security guard believe they have evidence that shows prosecutors put the wrong man behind bars. But in the quest to prove his innocence, they may have to defend themselves, too. Cook Coun

Army: Shooting suspect is critical, but stable - 11/08/2009
A U.S. Army spokesman says the man authorities say went on a shooting spree at Fort Hood is in critical but stable condition. Spokesman Col. John Rossi told reporters on Sunday at Fort Hood that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is still hospitalized in Texas. He was taken off a ventilator on Saturday. Hasan was shot during an exchang

Killings remain unsolved as sniper execution nears - 11/08/2009
It galled her to do it, but Sarah Dillon was desperate for answers, so she wrote letters to convicted snipers John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo: If you murdered my son, please confess, she wrote. She got no reply. "I've been waiting for answers for seven years," said Dillon, who took to wearing a button that

Beauty and tragedy in global network of war graves - 11/08/2009
It is the British empire of the dead. Scattered across 150 countries and managed from a modest office building near London's Heathrow Airport, a global patchwork of graveyards constitutes a beautiful memorial to the ugliest carnage: the 1.7 million fighting men and women who died for Britain and its dominions in the world wars of the

Suspect identified in Seattle police killing - 11/08/2009
Police described a suspect in the shooting death of a Seattle policeman as a "lone domestic terrorist" and said he was also suspected of firebombing four police vehicles. At a news conference, Seattle Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel identified 41-year-old Christopher Monfort as the man shot by police on Friday as he was sou

Correction: Immigrant Hate Crimes story - 11/08/2009
In a Nov. 7 story about the racial issues in a New York community a year after the stabbing death of an Ecuadorean immigrant, The Associated Press misspelled the last name of one of the defendants charged in the immigrant's death. His correct name is Anthony Hartford, not Harfford.

Police: 1 killed, 3 injured in shooting near Vail - 11/08/2009
Gunfire erupted inside a bar near the ski town of Vail Saturday night, leaving one man dead and three others wounded, police said. A 63-year-old suspect was quickly arrested. Police said the shooting began about 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Sandbar Sports Grill, a popular bar that can hold more than 200 people. There were abou

Murder case a glimpse into stresses of caretaking - 11/08/2009
The scenes seared into the minds of those who know Bobby Yurkanin differed only in place: Whether in the pool, around the dinner table or at the bowling alley, he was the 50-something man whose life had long before been handed over to the sickness of his parents. Always his father was by his side. Yurkanin moved across the country to