New chief of DC's National Zoo comes from Atlanta
10:34
The National Zoo in Washington is getting its new director from Zoo Atlanta. The two zoos announced Friday that Atlanta' president and CEO, Dennis Kelly, has been named director of the National Zoo. Kelly will leave...
NYC mayor on deadly shootout: `Too many guns'
10:30
The mayor railed against gun violence on Friday, one day after a street peddler died in a shootout with police outside a hotel in bustling Times Square. Raymond Martinez, 25, was killed by a plainclothes sergeant...
New chief of DC's National Zoo comes from Atlanta
10:30
The National Zoo in Washington is getting its new director from Zoo Atlanta. The two zoos announced Friday that Atlanta' president and CEO, Dennis Kelly, has been named director of the National Zoo. Kelly will leave...
SC first lady files for divorce from cheating gov
9:53
South Carolina's first lady, a former Wall Street vice president who helped launch her husband's political career, announced Friday she is filing for divorce months after his tearful public confession of an affair with...
Mom of Ohio suspect: Pipe bombs are his hobby
9:49
A former anesthesiologist accused of making pipe bombs in his apartment didn't intend to harm anyone and detonated the devices in remote areas as a hobby, his mother told a newspaper. "Mark had no intention of killing...
Text of divorce statement from SC first lady
9:35
Here is the text of a statement released Friday by South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford on filing for divorce from Gov. Mark Sanford months after he publicly confessed an affair with an Argentine woman: "As so many...
Ask AP: Palin's best-seller, making 3-D movies
9:28
Sarah Palin wrapped up her new memoir "Going Rogue" in just four months after the book deal was announced _ you betcha she did! _ but did she write it alone, or did she have help? Curiosity about the making of Palin's...
Casey Anthony lawyers seek to block death penalty
9:11
Attorneys for a Florida mother charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter are expected to ask a judge to stop prosecutors from seeking the death penalty. A hearing in Casey Anthony's case is set to begin Friday...
US-born Hispanics see gains in education, income
8:38
Young Hispanics born in the U.S. are less likely to drop out of school and live in poverty than Hispanic immigrants of their age, but they have higher exposure to gangs and violence, an independent research group says. ...
La. woman arrested in grits attack on boyfriend
8:33
A Louisiana woman is charged with getting back at her sleeping boyfriend after a fight by scalding him with a pot of boiling grits. Sheriff's deputies say 44-year-old Carolyn Brown caused second-degree burns on the...
Missing Yale lab tech found near home
7:40
Police say they've found a missing Yale University lab technician who reportedly works at the building where a graduate student was killed in September. West Haven police say 47-year-old John DiNello was found safe...
AP News in Brief
6:13
Police say 5 Americans detained in Pakistan over suspected terror links likely to be deported ISLAMABAD (AP) _ Five young American Muslims detained over alleged terrorist links in Pakistan are most likely to be...
The nation's weather
5:30
Wintry weather was expected to persist over the Northeast and New England on Friday, while the Central U.S. could start to warm. The low pressure system that brought heavy snowfall to the Central and Eastern U.S. was...
Mich. AG to give deposition in slain stripper suit
5:24
Stripper Tamara Greene has found more notoriety in death than she ever did dancing under the name "Strawberry" in dimly lit topless clubs and private parties around Detroit. The attractive, 27-year-old mother of three...
Ind. executes man for 3 murders, first since '07
3:45
An Indiana man who refused to request clemency has been executed for the 1994 killings of his estranged wife and two relatives. A state Department of Correction spokesman says 49-year-old Matthew Eric Wrinkles died...
Nobel award in hand, Obama faces hard work at home
3:29
With a Nobel Peace Prize in hand, President Barack Obama is returning to the grind of governing, refocusing on his top domestic priority as the Senate moves toward a pivotal moment on legislation to remake the nation's...
World-class ice climber dies in Montana avalanche
2:48
World-class ice climber Guy Lacelle died Thursday when an avalanche swept him off a mountain in southwestern Montana. The Canadian was climbing a gully when a team above him triggered a small avalanche, said Doug...
Stolen Seattle totem pole found near Salem, Ore.
12:57
Police say an 18-foot-tall totem pole stolen from a West Seattle park has been found about 200 miles away in Oregon. The Seattle Times reports a 69-year-old West Seattle man led investigators to the pole. Police say he...
Today in History - Dec. 11
12:01
Today is Friday, Dec. 11, the 345th day of 2009. There are 20 days left in the year. The Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, begins at sunset. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 11, 1936, Britain's King Edward...
US, allies warn of new Iran sanctions
11:47
The United States, Britain and France warned Thursday that Iran risks increased sanctions unless it immediately complies with a series of Security Council resolutions regarding its nuclear program. Ambassadors from the...
Arsonists torch Bronx synagogue-turned-church
11:45
A former Bronx synagogue that was turned into a church was torched by assailants who smeared Satanic graffiti on its walls. "We have no idea who did this," said the Rev. Raymond Talavera, pastor of the 150-member...
RI cop accused of beating teenager
11:36
A Rhode Island police officer was arrested Thursday, accused of brutally beating a teenage boy and then encouraging fellow officers to lie about it to the FBI. Woonsocket police Officer John H. Douglas pleaded not...
Bones of T. rex to make museum debut in Oregon
11:31
The skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex will make its museum debut at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry along the banks of the Willamette River. Museum President Nancy Stueber said the fossilized bones of a...
Chicago man convicted of killing 11 women in 1990s
11:28
A Chicago man has been convicted of killing 11 women in a string of attacks that terrorized a south side neighborhood in the 1990s. Jurors deliberated for about 10 hours over two days before convicting 47-year-old...
Affidavit: CO man says he put dad's body in trash
11:07
An affidavit says a Colorado man whose father's body was found in a trash can told police he put his father's body there after finding him dead in their home. Thirty-two-year-old Quinten Abeyta of Colorado Springs has...
Train derails west of Denver, car falls 25 feet
9:18
A freight train derailed near the foothills west of Denver Thursday, sending an empty grain car plunging about 25 feet to the roadway below. The car didn't hit any vehicles on Colorado 72, a small highway that connects...
Promotion day arrives for white Conn. firefighters
9:14
Amid blaring bagpipes, the crowd erupted with even louder cheers, whistles and shouts when firefighters entered a high school auditorium to receive their promotional badges after a 5-year legal battle that ended with a...
SC Gov. Sanford wants to reconcile with first lady
9:14
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said Thursday he still wants to reconcile with the first lady even though Jenny Sanford has made clear she won't be standing by his side in the wake of his affair. Sanford spoke with...
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 857
8:58
As of Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, at least 857 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...
T. Rex going to Ore. for stay at Portland museum
8:55
A skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex will spend much of 2010 along the banks of the Willamette River at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The museum says the skeleton is that of a 40-foot-long predator dinosaur...
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,368
8:55
As of Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, at least 4,368 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes nine military civilians...
Fla. woman accused of hitting man with raw steak
8:19
A 53-year-old was arrested after allegedly hitting a man in the head with a raw steak. According to a Marion County Sheriff's Office report, the man told deputies Elsie Egan repeatedly hit him with the uncooked meat and...
Woman accused of drunken ride in Christmas parade
8:19
A woman has posted $500 bond on a charge of public intoxication after police said she passed out on a horse she rode in the Shelbyville Christmas parade. According to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, a 46-year-old woman...
Dutch man reports theft of Ecstasy pill collection
8:19
A man who said he spent two decades collecting Ecstasy pills of all colors and shapes as a hobby has turned to police for help after they were stolen _ because he said some of them are poisonous. Police say the...
Man allegedly assaults wife over snow shoveling
8:19
Police arrested a man who allegedly assaulted his wife when she refused to help him shovel snow. Officers said they went to the residence early Wednesday afternoon after the 44-year-old woman said her husband struck her...
Woman allegedly pours grits on sleeping boyfriend
8:19
A 44-year-old woman was booked with second-degree battery after allegedly pouring a pot of boiling grits onto her sleeping boyfriend. St. Charles Parish sheriff's deputies said Carolyn Brown caused second-degree burns...
Sheriff: Bailiff unknowingly sold stolen wreaths
8:19
The Hillsborough County sheriff said a court bailiff sold stolen Christmas wreaths in the lobby of the Superior Court in Manchester. Sheriff James Hardy said the bailiff sold the wreaths after being asked to do so by an...
Overdue hunters in northern Arizona accounted for
8:09
Authorities in northern Arizona said Thursday all hunters reported stranded or overdue after a powerful storm brought deep snow and freezing temperatures to the area have been accounted for. In all, authorities...
LA County tallies $19.8 million in wildfire damage
7:49
Estimated damage to Los Angeles County infrastructure and other costs resulting from three summer wildfires now total $19.8 million. Most of the damage totals released Thursday relate to the Station Fire, which burned...
LA investigators say prominent lawyer was slain
7:43
Investigators said Thursday that a prominent trial lawyer who was found fatally shot outside his home was the victim of a homicide. Detectives spent several days trying to determine if Monday's shooting of Jeffrey...
NM teen pleads not guilty in Navajo nun's murder
7:42
A New Mexico prosecutor's spokesman says an 18-year-old man accused of killing a nun on the Navajo reservation pleaded not guilty Thursday to first-degree murder and burglary charges. U.S. Attorney spokesman Norm...
Witness: Suspect in Smart case not faking illness
7:29
A court-appointed forensic psychologist testified Thursday that the man charged with kidnapping Elizabeth Smart isn't faking mental illness to avoid prosecution. Dr. Richart DeMier was questioned by defense attorneys...
MISSING TITLE
7:13
Insurance executive agrees to plead guilty to stalking for taping ESPN reporter in the nude. ...
Haleakala in Hawaii picked as solar telescope site
7:06
The National Science Foundation has picked Maui's Haleakala mountaintop as the site for the world's largest solar optical telescope. The federal agency picked the dormant volcano last week and announced the choice...
NYer cleared after woman says rape claim was lie
6:59
A construction worker behind bars for nearly four years for a gang rape that never happened was cleared Thursday after his accuser admitted she lied to make her friends feel sorry for her. William McCaffrey hugged his...
3rd convict in Tenn. slayings gets life in prison
6:47
The third man to be convicted in the brutal carjacking and torture murders of a young Tennessee couple has been sentenced to life without parole. A jury in Knoxville deliberated about two hours Thursday before handing...
Sentencing date set for Baltimore mayor
6:38
A judge has set a Jan. 21 sentencing date for Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon. The Democrat was convicted last week on a misdemeanor embezzlement charge. Jurors found she took gift cards donated to the city for...
Kan. AG files revised complaint in slayings of 4
6:31
The Kansas attorney general's office has filed a revised capital murder complaint against a former Missouri city official after a fourth victim died in the case. The complaint filed Thursday against 46-year-old James...
Texas guard fired after inmate escapes with weapon
6:30
A guard at a Texas prison has been fired for "reckless endangerment" after a convicted sex offender escaped with a loaded pistol that had been smuggled to the inmate. Officials also say all state prisons will also go...
Jury deliberates in Seattle Jewish center shooting
6:18
The second trial of a man who stormed into a Jewish center in Seattle three years ago and shot six women, killing one, is in the hands of a jury. The King County Superior Court jury received the case Thursday afternoon...