No suspects in 5 deaths at Denver bar

Meningitis outbreak deaths rise to 19

Violent crimes rose 18%t in 2011

Face to face: Obama, Romney in crackling debate for votes

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) - An aggressive President Barack Obama accused challenger Mitt Romney of peddling a "sketchy deal" to fix the U.S. economy and playing politics with the deadly terrorist attack in Libya in a Tuesday night debate crackling with energy and emotion just three weeks before the election.

Obama rebounds in debate while Romney holds his own

WASHINGTON (AP) - Fighting for his political life, President Barack Obama re-emerged in blistering form in an interruption-filled debate rematch, trying to diminish Mitt Romney's rising stature by accusing him of dishonesty and extremism.

What they said in 2nd debate

An aggressive President Barack Obama scrapped with Republican Mitt Romney over terrorism, jobs, immigration and women's issues in a feisty second presidential debate. A look at what they said:

Binders of women: How the 2nd presidential debate played online

Move over Big Bird, these binders are full of women. The offhand phrase from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Tuesday night was one of many topics that pinballed across social networks, as users instantly weighed in on moments from his debate with President Barack Obama. As with their first debate, for many users it was less about picking an instant winner and a loser and more about dissecting how the candidates relate to everyday ...

Earth-sized planet found just outside solar system

NY school's blackface assault skit criticized

Aerialist plans tightrope walk near Grand Canyon

SARASOTA, Florida (AP) - Aerialist Nik Wallenda says he's planning a tightrope walk near the Grand Canyon, but he won't be wearing a safety harness like he used at Niagara Falls. Wallenda told Sarasota Herald-Tribune Tuesday that he has signed a contract with an unnamed cable network to broadcast the roughly half-mile (0.8-kilometer) walk. In June, the 33-year-old ...

Social Security benefits get a 1.7 percent bump

Odd News

MICHIGAN 'BATMAN' SAYS HE HAS GOOD INTENTIONS: PETOSKEY, Mich. (AP) - A Michigan man whose efforts to keep an eye on his community while wearing a Batman outfit landed him in court said he has good intentions with his crime-fighting work. State troopers arrested Mark Wayne Williams, 33, on Sept. 29 because they said he refused to leave them alone while they searched for a driver ...

Clinton trying to take heat off White House over criticism over security after fatal attack

LIMA, Peru (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is answering Republican criticism of the Obama administration's handling of last month's attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, saying she - not the White House - is responsible for security at all of America's diplomatic missions.

Political ads blitz viewers, risk voter turnoff

Ex-Kansas soldier gets 10 months for sham marriage to get more benefits

NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women

Ga. radio hosts fired; mocked ex-player with ALS

ATLANTA (AP) - The cast of an Atlanta sports radio show has been fired after mocking a former NFL player who has Lou Gehrig's disease, a station official said Monday.

Bear mauls Alaska man who gave it barbecue meat

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A black bear mauled a man at a campground in Alaska, but the animal won't likely threaten other people, the state Department of Fish and Game said. Spokesman Ken Marsh said the bear was "pretty much goaded" into the attack Saturday near Eklutna Lake Campground north of Anchorage because the man fed it meat from a church barbecue, the Anchorage Daily News (reported. The man could be charged with illegally feeding ...

Ex-hitman heartbroken Bulger was informant

Official: Solar plane to help energy use on ground

Miss USA crown goes to Connecticut contestant Erin Brady

Adult smoking rate dips to 18 percent

NYC aims to require composting food scraps

Nation news briefs

FBI REACHES MILESTONE IN MOST WANTED FUGITIVE LIST: WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI has reached a milestone in its 63-year-old program of pursuing its "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives."

Nation news briefs

FBI REACHES MILESTONE IN MOST WANTED FUGITIVE LIST: WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI has reached a milestone in its 63-year-old program of pursuing its "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives."

To ease shortage of organs, grow them in a lab?

Miss Utah latest beauty queen to botch answer

Ohio police chief takes criminals to task online via Facebook page

Ohio police chief takes criminals to task online via Facebook page

Shopper is killed chasing bank robber

WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania bank robber fatally shot a supermarket customer who ran after him and tried to stop his getaway car, police said. South Strabane Township police identified the dead man as Vincent Kelley, 46, of Washington, Pa. Kelley and his friend Jared Cameron, 21, were shopping at the Giant Eagle in Strabane Square when police said the man robbed an in-store Citizens Bank branch about 2:30 p.m. Sunday. "I saw him ...

Hitchhiking cat 'Mata Hairi' headed home to Oregon

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A well-traveled cat named "Mata Hairi" will soon be reunited with her owner after spending nearly 10 months traveling thousands of miles with a hitchhiker who rescued her from the rain. The feline adventure started in Portland, Ore., when the cat's owner, Ron Buss, let her out of the house on Sept. 1. The cat, white with patches of dark gray, usually left for no more than a couple of hours ...