Deal reached for stopping milk prices from soaring all the way to $7 a gallon

WASHINGTON (AP) - The top leaders in both parties on the House and Senate Agriculture committees have agreed to a one-year extension of the 2008 farm bill that expired in October, a move that could head off a possible doubling of milk prices next month.

Hillary Clinton hospitalized with blood clot

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was admitted to a New York hospital Sunday after the discovery of a blood clot stemming from the concussion she sustained earlier this month.

GOP governors walk balance beam

ATLANTA (AP) - Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who made a fortune as a health care executive, long opposed President Barack Obama's remake of the health insurance market. After the Democratic president won re-election, the Republican governor softened his tone. He said he wanted to "have a conversation" with the administration about implementing the 2010 law. With a federal deadline approaching, he also said while Florida ...

Obama wants gun violence measures passed

WASHINGTON (AP) - Recalling the shooting rampage that killed 20 first graders as the worst day of his presidency, President Barack Obama pledged to put his "full weight" behind legislation aimed at preventing gun violence.

America now on edge of fiscal cliff

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Capitol Hill deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" was proving elusive Sunday as a deadline to avert tax hikes on virtually every American worker and block sweeping spending cuts set to strike the Pentagon and other federal agencies grew perilously near.

National news briefs

9 KILLED IN TOUR BUS CRASH ALONG OREGON HIGHWAY: PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) - A tour bus careened through a guardrail along an icy Oregon highway and several hundred feet down a steep embankment Sunday, killing nine people and injuring more than 20 others, authorities said.

2012 styles that made our heads turn

Burned bear cub recovering, may be released soon

HAMILTON, Mont. (AP) - An orphaned black bear cub burned in a wildfire last summer is recovering and may be released in June, an Idaho wildlife sanctuary official said. The 4-month-old bear nicknamed "Boo Boo" was discovered by a fisherman in a tree along the Salmon River in August days after the 312-square-mile Mustang wildfire complex passed through the area. <p style="line-height: ...

Couple says pet chicken alerted them to blaze

Gays in Maine poised for first weddings

Jean Harris, 'Scarsdale Diet' doctor killer, dies at age 89

Last ditch effort to avoid fiscal cliff

Mayor Bloomberg: Keep two NY subway push deaths in perspective

'Fifty Shades' dominates publishing in 2012

Nation news briefs

ARIZONA SHERIFF AIMS TO PUT ARMED POSSE AT SCHOOLS: PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona sheriff has announced plans to deploy an armed volunteer posse to protect Phoenix-area students in the wake of the mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school.

Illinois governor signs pension overhaul into law

CHICAGO (AP) - In a private ceremony attended by a handful of lawmakers, Gov. Pat Quinn signed landmark legislation Thursday to reform Illinois' massively-underfunded pension system, though labor unions immediately threatened a lawsuit challenging the new law.

COLD SNAP GLANCE

From California to Ohio, a big chunk of the U.S. is getting a blast of wintry weather. Frigid temperatures are following a storm that's bringing snow and ice to many areas. The conditions are making travel difficult, raising concerns about citrus crops and prompting the cancellation of fights, holiday festivities and football games. Even one outdoor ice rink in cold-accustomed South Dakota is shutting down.

Dreaming of a warm, happy place

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - With the wind chill falling to almost minus 40, Steve Hendershot's mind was elsewhere Thursday as he and his crew of roustabouts worked an oil rig in North Dakota's booming oil patch.

Fast-food workers across the country push for wage hikes

Fast-food NEW YORK (AP) - Fast-food workers and labor organizers marched, waved signs and chanted in cities across the country on Thursday in a push for higher wages.

Jobs report to show if US economy is for real

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. economy is growing faster, corporate profits are rising and companies are laying off the fewest workers in six years.

Temps reach dangerous level for citrus

VISALIA (AP) - Officials say temperatures in the citrus-rich San Joaquin Valley dropped to the low 20s overnight, but it was too early to tell whether there was any crop damage.

Bratton named NYPD commish again

NEW YORK (AP) - William Bratton, whose tenure as New York City police commissioner in the 1990s was marked by a steep decline in crime and clashes with then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, has been chosen to lead the nation's largest police force again.

Illinois pension fight likely shifting to court

Skydivers return to site where 2 died

ELOY, Ariz. (AP) - Skydivers from around the world returned to the air Wednesday at a popular Arizona skydiving location that was the site of a deadly mishap involving two parachutists a day earlier.

Face transplants thriving 2 years after operation

Train engineer in a 'daze' before crash

Detroit bankruptcy decision puts pensions at risk

No problems found in NYC train brake system

NEW YORK (AP) - Investigators looking into a deadly train derailment said Tuesday that no problems had been found with the train's brake system or track signals along its route and that its engineer was being questioned again.

Odd News

BIRD STEALS CAMERA IN AUSTRALIA, RECORDS JOURNEY: SYDNEY (AP) - A brazen bird snatched a video camera that was recording crocodiles in northwest Australia and captured fascinating footage of its 110-kilometer (70-mile) journey across the country's remote landscape. Wildlife rangers in Western Australia's Kimberly region released video on Monday that reveals the sea eagle's caper. The bird's flapping wings can be seen as it grabs the device and takes off, ...

Detroit can use bankruptcy to confront debt