Va. gas line explodes, burns homes and roads

Parents fight for release of son jailed in Mexico. shotgun barrel is inch too short

Nation news briefs

• FAA: 3 KILLED IN MEDICAL HELICOPTER CRASH IN ILL: ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Authorities say a medical helicopter has crashed in northern Illinois, killing all three people on board.

Nation news briefs

RESEARCHERS FIND MORE GRAVES AT FLA. REFORM SCHOOL: TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - University of South Florida anthropologists say they've found evidence of 98 deaths and more graves than previously identified at a closed reform school in the Panhandle.

Facebook says some users briefly kept from site

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Facebook says some users were briefly unable to access the site because of a technical glitch. The social networking site with over 1 billion users worldwide says on Monday it made a change to its domain name system setup. The change resulted in some users temporarily not being able to reach the site. The ...

Odd News

OHIO POLICE FIND, TOW BIG PIG IN ABANDONED VEHICLE: YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) - Police responding to a report of an abandoned vehicle in northeast Ohio say they found an unexpected passenger in the back seat: a 250-pound potbellied pig named Penelope.

Better watch out: SantaCon is coming to town

Alaska serial killer researched mass murderers

Attacks down overall, insider threat rises

Obama says he 'won't compromise' on taxes

How does under the ‘concretewalk’ sound?

Rocky Mountain high is now legal in Colorado on gov’s proclamation

Handcuffed Texas suspect makes off with squad car

Handcuffed Texas suspect makes off with squad car

Police: Boys, 7 and 11, attempt robbery with gun

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Two boys, ages 7 and 11, are accused of trying to rob a woman with a loaded gun, police said Sunday. The boys tried to carjack a 22-year-old woman who was in her family's truck waiting for her parents in a church parking lot, Portland police said in a statement. Ami Garrett, of southeast ...

Man sues ex-Elmo puppeteer, claims sex abuse

News from around the nation

Dad still drive’s his son’s truck

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