Mom charged in death of boy shot in crib

SLATINGTON, Pa. (AP) - Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania have charged a mother with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 19-month-old boy hit by a gunshot in his crib.

State Side

425-POUND MAN TRIED TO KIDNAP 10-YEAR-OLD: SANTA ANA . (AP) - Santa Ana police say they've arrested a 425-pound gang member who allegedly tried to kidnap a 10-year-old boy who was on his way to soccer practice.

Texas test scandal ex-school chief gets 3.5 years

Odd News

POLICE: CALL FROM 'BURGLAR' ACTUALLY CAME FROM DOG: OREM, Utah (AP) - Police in Orem, Utah, say a man who thought he was getting a call from a burglar had actually gotten a call from his dog.

Friendly fire likely in border shootings

Utah boy's letter: 'Grown-ups killed my kitty'

Steroid-related meningitis cases rise to 47

Obama, Romney clash on economy in first debate

DENVER (AP) - In a showdown at close quarters, President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney sparred aggressively in their first campaign debate Wednesday night over taxes, deficits and strong steps needed to create jobs in a sputtering national economy. "The status quo is not going to cut it," declared the challenger.

Prices trickle lower except on coasts

Girl offers piggy bank money for return of puppy

SAN JOSE . (AP) - A little girl is offering all the money in her piggy bank to add to a $6,000 reward for the return of her puppy taken in a burglary. Michael Mabanag, the father of 10-year-old Marissa Mabang, says his daughter offered the contents of her piggy bank because she "just wants her doggie back." <p style="line-height: 18pt; background: ...

Lawyer wants sex charge dismissed against teacher

MODESTO (AP) - An attorney for a former Modesto high school teacher who began a high-profile romance with a teenage student asked a judge to dismiss a sex charge against her client involving another person. James Hooker, 42, is facing one count of oral copulation with a person under 18 in connection with an alleged 1998 ...

Rare meningitis cases at 26 in 5 states, 4 deaths

Nation news briefs

BOSTON ARBORIST STUMPED BY BURL BURGLARIES: BOSTON (AP) - Arborists in the Boston area are stumped by the theft of burls, those giant knots on the trunks of most tree species prized by woodworkers for their intricate grain.

2nd Detroit police chief accused of sex scandal

Rare century-old $5 Alaska bill to be auctioned

Man mauled by pet deer, faces charges

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama man was charged with illegally keeping seven deer as pets, including a buck that mauled and partially blinded him, wildlife officials said Friday. On Oct. 30, Julius Dunsmore entered a fenced pen on his property in Marshall County in the northern part of the state and was attacked by a nine-point buck. Dunsmore said the deer lifted him up on its antlers and carried him 30 feet. One antler ...

Hindenburg inspired Pa. man's house blast

Height of 1 World Trade Center debated

Crime witnesses ID on rats215

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - An anonymous social media site has been identifying witnesses in violent crimes across Philadelphia with the stated intention of trying to "expose rats," and city authorities were trying to find out who is behind it, police said Friday.

Suit: Dad criticized for denying son McDonald's

News from around the nation

Chess, rubber duck inducted into Hall of Fame

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - The rubber duck squeaked out a win for a place in the National Toy Hall of Fame, joining the ancient game of chess in the 2013 class inducted Thursday.

VA lifts overtime requirement for claims workers

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Department of Veterans Affairs will temporarily suspend a program that requires more than 10,000 disability claims processors to work at least 20 hours of overtime per month with VA Secretary Eric Shinseki saying Thursday he had to be careful not to burn out his workforce.

IRS refunded $4B to identity thieves

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Internal Revenue Service issued $4 billion in fraudulent tax refunds last year to people using stolen identities, with some of the money going to addresses in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Ireland, according to an inspector general's report released Thursday.

Math, reading scores up slightly

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sometimes the best isn't good enough: Most American fourth- and eighth-graders still lack basic skills in math and reading despite record high scores on a national exam.

Gay rights bill gets Senate OK

One final toast for surviving Doolittle Raiders this weekend

Man fights denial of 'COPSLIE' vanity plate

News from around the nation

WOMAN IN STALKING CASE BANNED FROM TWITTER: NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A suburban Philadelphia woman has been banned from using Twitter as part of her sentence for a stalking conviction.

Police stun stepdad trying to save son from fire