Sidestepping major ruling on gay marriage?

Conn. priest to admit to meth charge

$338M lottery winner feels 'pure joy’

Nevada Assembly considers first ever expulsion

RENO, Nev. (AP) - A lawmaker who has been arrested twice in two months, hospitalized for a mental evaluation and accused of threatening to harm a Democratic Party leader could this week become the first person in Nevada history to be kicked out of the Legislature.

Donors give $8M so Detroit can buy 23 EMS units, 100 police cars

DETROIT (AP) - Several businesses have pledged a total of $8 million to help cash-strapped Detroit pay for a new fleet of emergency vehicles, including 23 EMS units and 100 police cars, to boost public safety and reduce response times, Mayor Dave Bing announced Monday. Racing team owner Roger Penske, who leads Penske Automotive Group ...

Odd News

BELGIUM'S CHOCOLATE STAMPS OFFER LICK WITH A KICK: BRUSSELS (AP) - Feel like having chocolate at Easter in Belgium? Well, send a letter and really lick that chocolate-flavored postal stamp.

High court gay marriage tickets cost money

Woman gets prison time in 'total ID theft'

Nearly $3.7M spent on ex-presidents in 2012

Spring snow closes schools, cancels flights

$338M Powerball winner says he'll help family

Rallies held to protest ND anti-abortion move

Nation news briefs

$5.6 MILLION BUDGET GAP FOR SACRAMENTO SCHOOLS: SACRAMENTO (AP) - Schools could be shuttered and positions could be eliminated as the Sacramento City Unified School District seeks to close a $5.6 million budget gap next school year.

New pope revives question: What is a ‘Latino?’

NEW YORK (AP) - He is being hailed with pride and wonder as the "first Latino pope," a native Spanish speaker born and raised in the South American nation of Argentina. But for some Latinos in the United States, there's a catch: Pope Francis' parents were born in Italy.

Gun debate heating up as critical Senate vote on gun control nears

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two of the loudest voices in the gun debate say it's up to voters now to make their position known to Congress.

Lawyer: Former ricin suspect's home is unlivable

1st female Iraq war resister to be court-martialed

Abortion trial stirs debate on when life ends

Boston suspect's defense team gets major boost

Army says no to more tanks, but Congress insists on them

WASHINGTON (AP) - Built to dominate the enemy in combat, the Army's hulking Abrams tank is proving equally hard to beat in a budget battle.

Dozens of air shows cancel without military jets due to federal budget cuts

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Dozens of air shows that draw tens of thousands of people and generate millions of dollars for local economies have been cancelled this year after the military grounded its jet and demonstration teams because of automatic federal budget cuts.

A new front for gun background checks

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - After struggling to sway both state and federal lawmakers, proponents of expanding background checks for gun sales are now exploring whether they will have more success by taking the issue directly to voters.

Man charged in suspicious letters case

BRANDON, Miss. (AP) - The arrest of a 41-year-old Mississippi martial arts instructor in a case of poison-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and others capped a week in which investigators initially zeroed in on a rival of James Everett Dutschke, then decided they had the wrong man.

So.Cal collector selling off 55,000 dresses, ballgowns

GARDENA (AP) - It was a sale fit for a princess on Saturday as a Southern California man put up for sale some of the 55,000 dresses and ballgowns in his collection.

Anthony Foxx in line for transportation post

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx as his new transportation secretary, a White House official said Sunday.

Obama jokes about aging during 2nd term

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama joked Saturday that the years are catching up to him and he's not "the strapping young Muslim socialist" he used to be.

Police say 4 people stabbed at Albuquerque church

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Police say a 24-year-old man stabbed four people at a Catholic church in Albuquerque as a Sunday mass was nearing its end.

Methane report further divides fracking camps

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically lowered its estimate of how much of a potent heat-trapping gas leaks during natural gas production, in a shift with major implications for a debate that has divided environmentalists: Does the recent boom in fracking help or hurt the fight against climate change?

NYPD whistle-blowers testify at stop-frisk trial

NEW YORK (AP) - After Officer Pedro Serrano decided to testify in federal court about what he sees as wrongdoing within the New York Police Department, a rat sticker appeared on his locker.

Nation news briefs

WIKILEAKS SUSPECT NAMED SF PRIDE PARADE MARSHAL: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The U.S. Army private charged in a massive leak of U.S. secrets to the WikiLeaks website has been named as a grand marshal of San Francisco's annual gay rights parade, a choice that was immediately condemned by several groups representing gay and lesbian service members.