Temperature records broken on first day of summer throughout Northeast

Alaska man climbs tree, but gets stuck upside down

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - An Alaska man had to be rescued after he climbed a tree for exercise but got stuck upside down by one leg. Fairbanks firefighters had to use a ladder truck to reach the 53-year-old man, who was dangling nearly 30 feet off the ground. He was uninjured. Assistant Fire Chief Ernie Misewicz told The ...

College president 'prostitution' site ruled legal

House committee holds Holder in contempt in Fast & Furious probe

College Board sets up 857 desks on National Mall representing dropouts

Dad won't face charges in alleged attacker's death

Nation news briefs

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS ELECT 1ST BLACK PRESIDENT : NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Southern Baptist Convention voted Tuesday to elect its first African-American president in one of its biggest steps yet to reconcile the 167-year-old denomination's troubled racial past and appeal to a more diverse group of believers.

Likelihood of contempt vote against Attorney General Eric Holder rises

Teen guilty of battery in flame attack

Nation news briefs

TEXAN WINS 'WACKY WARNINGS' CONTEST WITH GLOBE: WINONA, Texas (AP) - A decorative globe not meant for use in getting from here to there has helped a Texas woman win the 15th Annual Wacky Warning Labels contest.

Study: State pension shortfalls ballooned in 2010 across USA

Jury begins deliberating in burned Fla. teen case

New Asian immigrants now surpass Hispanics

Wildfires claim 189 homes in Colorado

Veterinarians may give NC zoo elephant contacts

WWII vet receives long-lost dog tag from France

ROCHESTER, NY (AP) - Irving Mann has been in business long enough to be skeptical of out-of-the-blue offers that seem too good to be true.

Killed World War II Marine’s diary offers a brief look at his brief life

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Before Cpl. Thomas "Cotton" Jones was killed by a Japanese sniper in the Central Pacific in 1944, he wrote what he called his "last life request" to anyone who might find his diary: Please give it to Laura Mae Davis, the girl he loved.

Woman who flew in WWII finally gets honors

TROY, Mich. (AP) - One of the 1,000-plus women who flew for the armed forces during World War II but waited decades to earn full military recognition was the focus of her family's thoughts at a Memorial Day graveside ceremony.

NY mayoral hopeful would be a first

NEW YORK (AP) - It was an unscripted moment made for Christine Quinn.

Teen accused of plot spoke about bombs

ALBANY, Ore. (AP) - Classmates of an Oregon teenager accused of planning to blow up his high school say the 17-year-old discussed bomb-making in the weeks before his arrest, but did not speak of a plot to inflict damage.

Fire breaks out aboard cruise ship

BALTIMORE (AP) - A fire that broke out aboard a Royal Caribbean ship Monday did enough damage that the rest of the cruise was canceled and the company said the more than 2,200 passengers will be flown from the Bahamas back to Baltimore where the trip began.

NYC launches bike share program

NEW YORK (AP) - The nation's biggest bicycle-sharing program got rolling Monday, as thousands of New Yorkers got their first chance to ride a network billed as a new form of public transit in a city known for it.

Gunman in Texas rampage was Marine

EDEN, Texas (AP) - A man suspected in a West Texas shooting rampage that left one woman dead and five others wounded was a Marine who was wanted for questioning in a slaying in North Carolina, officials said Monday.

Senator: New Statue of Liberty security risky

NEW YORK (AP) - New security plans for the Statue of Liberty could leave visitors vulnerable when it reopens July Fourth, New York officials said Monday.

Medical pot laws & treats may send more kids to ER

CHICAGO (AP) - Increased use of medical marijuana may lead to more young children getting sick from accidentally eating food made with the drug, a Colorado study suggests.

Man charged with raping toddler is sex offender

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A man who has been charged with killing an elderly Alaska couple and raping their 2-year-old great-granddaughter is a registered sex offender convicted of breaking into a home and assaulting an 11-year-old girl four years ago.

Nation news briefs

• SURGING WILDFIRE FORCES EVACUATIONS IN CALIFORNIA: SANTA BARBARA (AP) - A surging wildfire has forced dozens of residents and Memorial Day campers to evacuate the mountains of Santa Barbara County in California.

Deal helping Valeant cash on increase in diabetes rate

NEW YORK (AP) -Canadian drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals said Monday that it will pay $8.7 billion to buy Bausch + Lomb, one of the world's best-known makers of contact lenses, in a massive expansion of Valeant's smaller ophthalmology business.

Coastal Commission imposes property ‘caps

SOLANA BEACH (AP) - Atop the ocean bluff are the homes of those fortunate to own a piece of land overlooking the dramatic California coastline. Down on the beach are the surfers, swimmers and beachcombers lucky for a sliver of sand that skirts caves and coves in this paradise north of San Diego.