County told to issue same-sex marriage licenses

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A New Mexico judge on Monday declared same-sex marriage legal, ordering the clerk of the state's most populous county to join two other counties in issuing licenses for gay and lesbian couples.

Can strippers save Atlantic City?

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - What if, after seven years of plunging casino revenues and fleeing customers, Atlantic City's real problem was this: People are wearing too much clothing?

Heat prompts early dismissals in Midwest schools

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - An unusual, late-summer heat wave enveloped much of the Midwest on Monday, putting schools and sports events on hold.

$2M bail set in death of WWII veteran

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A 16-year-old Spokane boy was ordered held on $2 million bail Monday and will be tried as an adult in connection with last week's beating death of an 88-year-old World War II veteran. A second teen was arrested in the case early Monday morning.

Medal of Honor for Afghan war veteran

Ohio couple married 65 years die 11 hours apart

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - Relatives of an Ohio couple who died at a nursing home 11 hours apart on the same day said their love story's ending reflects their devotion over 65 years of marriage.

Request for lawyer not proof of guilt

NEW YORK (AP) - Prosecutors cannot use a defendant's request for a lawyer as evidence of guilt, a federal appeals court ruled Monday as it ordered a new trial for a man convicted of trying to sneak an alien into the United States.

Nation news briefs

WOMAN CHARGED IN DEATH OF BABY FOUND IN PA. PUB: EASTON, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania woman gave birth to a son in the bathroom of a sports bar, then abandoned him to die in the restaurant's toilet, authorities said Monday in charging her with the baby's death.

Mormon authors back gay writer in dispute

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - More than 40 Mormon authors are backing a gay writer in his dispute with a Utah publisher over a reference to the writer's boyfriend.

Would shooter’s execution make him a martyr?

FORT HOOD (AP) - Maj. Nidal Hasan and many of his victims in the Fort Hood shooting seem to want the same thing - his death. But while survivors and relatives of the dead view lethal injection as justice, the Army psychiatrist appears to see it as something else - martyrdom.

Super Bowl may be ‘Storm Bowl’

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) - The Farmers' Almanac is using words like "piercing cold," ''bitterly cold" and "biting cold" to describe the upcoming winter. And if its predictions are right, the first outdoor Super Bowl in years will be a messy "Storm Bowl."

Justice Dept. tries to stop La. school vouchers

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The U.S. Justice Department is trying to stop the state from distributing school vouchers in any district that remains under a desegregation court order.

Private lobbyists get public paid pensions in 20 states

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - As a lobbyist in New York's statehouse, Stephen Acquario is doing pretty well. He pulls down $204,000 a year, more than the governor makes, gets a Ford Explorer as his company car and is afforded another special perk:

King’s dream: ‘The task is not done’

WASHINGTON (AP) - Tens of thousands of people marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and down the National Mall on Saturday, commemorating the 50th anniversary of King's famous speech and pledging that his dream includes equality for gays, Latinos, the poor and the disabled.

Boy with rare brain infection on ventilator

MIAMI (AP) - Family members of a 12-year-old boy who was infected by a rare and deadly amoeba say he's on a ventilator.

Blind judge making history

DETROIT (AP) - Richard Bernstein officially joins the Michigan Supreme Court in a few days. But he's been working off the clock since November, preparing for 10 cases in an extraordinary way - memorizing the key points of every brief read to him by an aide.

Search expands for missing jet

SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) - The search for a missing AirAsia jet carrying 162 people that disappeared more than 24 hours ago on a flight from Indonesia to Singapore expanded Monday with planes and ships from several countries taking part.

Utah’s abortion rate lowest ever

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah's abortion rate has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, and there are differing opinions as to why.

Police boss: Less rhetoric, more dialogue needed

NEW YORK (AP) - A day after the funeral of one of two police officers gunned down in their patrol car, the city's police commissioner called Sunday for a "lot less rhetoric and a lot more dialogue" to defuse the tension between police officers and the population they protect.

Pot use has increased in Colorado

DENVER (AP) - Colorado emerged as the state with the second-highest percentage of regular marijuana users as it began legalizing the drug, according to a new national study.

N. Korea calls Obama ‘monkey’ in hacking row

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea called President Barack Obama "a monkey" and blamed the U.S. on Saturday for shutting down its Internet amid the hacking row over the comedy "The Interview."

Did wife shot him to avoid divorce?

YONKERS, N.Y. (AP) - A real estate developer who was shot in the head as he slept at home says his cheating wife did it in an attempt to kill him and avoid a messy divorce.

Marijuana attracts homeless to Denver

DENVER (AP) - Chris Easterling was sick of relying on drug dealers in Minneapolis when he needed marijuana to help ease the pain of multiple sclerosis. They were flaky, often leaving the homeless man without the drug when he needed relief the most.

Deliveries improve but hiccups continue

NEW YORK (AP) - Christmas came on time this year for most people.

Woman accused of hitting roommate with her walker

HAMILTON, Mont. (AP) - A 62-year-old Montana woman has been charged with felony intimidation and misdemeanor assault after her roommate accused the woman of running into her with a walker, causing her to fall.

Jeb Bush steps down from Tenet Healthcare board

MIAMI (AP) - As he takes steps toward a presidential run, Jeb Bush is resigning from the board of Tenet Healthcare Corp.

Conservationists, loggers team up on forest health

JOHN DAY, Ore. (AP) - Logs are piled high in the yard of the Malheur Lumber Co. mill in this small town in northeastern Oregon, ready to be sawed into lumber. Steam pours out of the stacks. Trucks loaded with logs roll in.

In 2014, nation’s economy began shaky, finished strong

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. economy flexed its old muscles in 2014.

Missouri 1st to see average gas price below $2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri became the first state Friday to have an average statewide gas price fall below $2 per gallon since 2009, while Oklahoma's average was expected to drop below that threshold sometime over the weekend, according to AAA.

Goats help eat, recycle Christmas trees

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Goats are known to eat just about anything, but it didn't dawn on Vince Thomas until recently that the menu might include Christmas trees.