Pot votes in 2 states challenge US drug war

DENVER (AP) - First came marijuana as medicine. Now comes legal pot for the people. Those who have argued for decades that legalizing and taxing weed would be better than a costly, failed U.S. drug war have their chance to prove it, as Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow pot for recreational use. While the measures earned support from broad swaths of the electorate in both states Tuesday, they are likely to ...

New storm bears down on battered NYC, NJ

Deer crashes through carpet store

CASTLE SHANNON, Pa. (AP) - This deer wasn't caught in the headlights. It was called on the carpet. A Pittsburgh-area carpeting store has been cleaning up after the wild animal smashed into the store and ran amok Tuesday. Jill Horvatic, an employee of Stout Carpeting in Castle Shannon, tells WPXI-TV that she hid while the animal ran around, ...

FBI help sought for finding 'Speed Freak' mass murder victims

STOCKTON (AP) - The sheriff of San Joaquin County plans to ask the FBI to take over the job of searching for and recovering the remains of victims linked to two serial murderers known as the Speed Freak Killers following criticism of his agency's handling of the delicate retrieval operation. Sheriff Steve Moore announced his intentions Tuesday after the mother of one ...

Powerful quake hits Guatemala, killing at least 48

Man who lost leg in crucifix mishap sues church

Re-elected, Obama heads back to divided government thanks to mixed voter verdict

FOUR MORE YEARS

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is sounding a conciliatory tone after his re-election Tuesday night victory, saying he has learned from those who supported him and those who opposed him. And he says he returns to Washington "more determined" and "more inspired."

No rest in final campaign hours for either Obama or Romney

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FAT CAT 'SKINNY' DROPS WEIGHT, DOWN TO 37 POUNDS: DALLAS (AP) - An overweight stray cat found nearly two months ago in North Texas has slimmed down to 37 pounds but is still too fat to be adopted.

Where will housing be found for Sandy's superstorm victims?

NEW YORK (AP) - Government leaders are turning their attention to the next crisis unfolding in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy: finding housing for potentially tens of thousands of people left homeless.

National news briefs

2-YEAR-OLD BOY KILLED AT PA. ZOO EXHIBIT: PITTSBURGH (AP) - A 2-year-old boy visiting the Pittsburgh zoo was killed Sunday morning when he fell off a railing that his mother had put him on top of to view a pack of African painted dogs, who pounced on the child and mauled him, police said.

Red Cross carries on despite storm-response flak

NEW YORK (AP) - It happened after the 9/11 terror attacks, after Hurricane Katrina and now, once again, after Superstorm Sandy: The American Red Cross takes flak for its response to a major disaster.

Rivals stress differences and bipartisanship hopes as judgment day nears on Tuesday

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) - Two days from judgment by the voters, President Barack Obama raced through four far-flung battleground states on Sunday while Mitt Romney ventured into traditionally Democratic Pennsylvania, seeking a breakthrough in a close race he mused aloud he might lose.

Obama leads Romney in hunt for all-important electoral votes

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - President Barack Obama enters the final hours of the 2012 campaign with an edge in the hunt for the 270 electoral votes needed to win and more ways to reach that magic number. Yet the race is remarkably close in at least six states that could go either way, giving Republican Mitt Romney hope that he can pull off a come-from-behind victory.

3 missing women found in Cleveland

Nation news briefs

2 DROWN IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY RIVER: SACRAMENTO (AP) - Two men drowned in a Sacramento County river over the weekend in separate incidents that officials are blaming on the cold water.

Man accused of lying seeks release

BOSTON (AP) - Lawyers for a man charged with lying to investigators after the Boston Marathon bombings are asking a federal judge to release him from jail, saying he had nothing to do with the deadly bombings and isn't a flight risk.

Uncle arranging suspect’s burial rites

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - The uncle of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev arrived in Massachusetts on Sunday to arrange for his burial, saying he understands that "no one wants to associate their names with such evil events."

Obama to grads: Reject cynical voices

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A year to the day after kicking off his victorious re-election campaign on this college campus, President Barack Obama returned to Ohio State University and told graduates that only through vigorous participation in their democracy can they right an ill-functioning government and break through relentless cynicism about the nation's future.

Solar powered plane lands in Arizona

PHOENIX (AP) - Alone in the single-seat cockpit and high above the American Southwest, pilot Bertrand Piccard could hear only his plane's gear box and the quiet whine of four electric motors. No noisy jet engines.

Giffords receives Profile in Courage award

BOSTON (AP) - Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords received the 2013 Profile in Courage award at the John F. Kennedy Library on Sunday in recognition of the political, personal, and physical courage she has demonstrated in her fearless public advocacy for policy reforms aimed at reducing gun violence.

Utah cabin had uninvited guests: 60,000 or so bees

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - It was the biggest beehive that that Ogden beekeeper Vic Bachman has ever removed - a dozen feet long, packed inside the eaves of a cabin in Ogden Valley.

Gerbils strut their stuff at New England pageant

BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) - The American Gerbil Society's annual pageant brought dozens of rodents scurrying to New England this weekend for a chance to win "top gerbil."

Nation news briefs

• WOMAN USED FACEBOOK TO HARASS HERSELF, COPS SAY: GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - A western Michigan woman is accused of creating a Facebook account to stalk herself.

Priest with history of molestation resigns

Exercise cuts kidney stone risk in women

NRA: 'Culture war' more than gun rights

Police: No crime in student mouth taping in Colorado

Climber dies in fiery fall on power tower