Seagal, sheriff train Arizonans to guard schools

PHOENIX (AP) - The self-proclaimed "America's Toughest Sheriff" joined forces this weekend with action movie star Steven Seagal to train volunteer armed posse members to defend Phoenix-area schools against gunmen.

What heals traumatized kids? Answers lacking

CHICAGO (AP) - Shootings and other traumatic events involving children are not rare events, but there's a startling lack of scientific evidence on the best ways to help young survivors and witnesses heal, a government-funded analysis found.

Crews working to clear snow after storm

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (AP) - The harrowing images from New York's slice of the massive snowstorm - people stranded overnight, cars abandoned on long stretches of drift-covered highways - were slowly erased Sunday on the far reaches of Long Island, where hundreds of snowplows and heavy equipment descended on a region battered by storm again and to try to help clear the way for Monday's commute. ...

Did lawmaker grab for cop's weapon?

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Troubled Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks was arrested early Sunday in Las Vegas on suspicion of physically attacking a family member, then grabbing for an officer's weapon.

Wash. man, 82, says he's OK after tackling suspect in home burglary

LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) - An 82-year-old Washington state man says he was a little sore but otherwise OK after tackling and helping police catch a felon one-third his age.

Credit card scam: $200M stolen, 7,000 fake IDs, 25,000 credit cards

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Many scam artists are looking for ways to get rich quick.

National news briefs

POLICE: 4 WOUNDED IN BOURBON STREET SHOOTING: NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New Orleans police have released a bystanders' video of what they say is an argument involving some people in a Bourbon Street throng raucously celebrating ahead of Mardi Gras when shots ring out, followed by screams.

Corn shortage idles 20 ethanol plants

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The persistent drought is taking a toll on producers of ethanol, with corn becoming so scarce that nearly two dozen ethanol plants have been forced to halt production.

It’s hog heaven: Bacon enthusiasts converge in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The smell of bacon was in the air Saturday as thousands converged on Iowa's capital city for an increasingly popular festival celebrating all things connected with the meat.

Gay sperm donor, lesbian couple reach deal

‘Kids rewarded for good manners at Wash. restaurant

SEATTLE (AP) - To Laura King, her three children were acting normal while enjoying dinner at an Italian restaurant in their hometown in Washington state. But staffers of the restaurant Sogno di Vino in Poulsbo were so impressed with her children's table manners during their Feb. 1 dinner that they thanked her kids and gave the family of five a bowl of ...

Nevada pushes interstate online gambling bill

Odd News

MAN ACQUITTED IN FIGHT OVER STINKY FEET: AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - An Augusta man jailed after police said an argument over stinky feet left his roommate with a minor wound has been acquitted.

Students learn Utah scholarships were mistake

OREM, Utah (AP) - The offer seemed too good to be true: A four-year scholarship at Utah Valley University just for the asking. Turns out, it was a mistake that disappointed hundreds of parents and students. "I told my parents that I have this free ride to UVU, and even though it's not my top option, they're like, ...

More Marines charged over corpse urination

Spending stumbling block to budget deal to avoid debt crisis

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Republicans and Democrats hit an impasse Sunday over spending in their last-ditch struggle to avoid an economy-jarring default in just four days and end a partial government shutdown that's entering its third week.

Dying Ohio man on gurney leads 24-year-old daughter down aisle

CLEVELAND (AP) - A terminally ill Ohio man who arrived at his daughter's wedding by ambulance gave her away, from a hospital gurney.