Bishops press religious-freedom fight with gov't

Most every day is Flag Day for Philly seamstresses

Nation news briefs

NJ YACHT HOAX RESPONSE COST MORE THAN $300,000: NEW YORK (AP) - Rescue officials say a search operation after a fake report of a yacht explosion off the New Jersey coast cost agencies including the Coast Guard more than $300,000 and took about five hours.

Smoke from wildfire 60 miles away blankets Denver ‘ 100 structures burned

Average price of 4-year university up 15 percent

Tanned NJ woman's salon is fined for overexposure

Face-chewing victim 'awake and alert'

KKK group aims to adopt highway in Georgia for litter control; state balking

Sheriff: Man writing book on kindness shot while hitchhiking across Montana

Nation news briefs

HAWAII TELESCOPE SEES WHAT COULD BE OLDEST GALAXY: HONOLULU (AP) - A team of Japanese astronomers using telescopes on Hawaii say they've seen the oldest galaxy, a discovery that's competing with other "earliest galaxy" claims.

Don’t cuss unless you can pay the fine: Town weighs $20 fines for public swearing

MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Officials fed up with public swearing in one town say that forcing the potty-mouthed to pay up might be the right antidote. Residents attending town meeting in Middleborough on Monday night were scheduled to vote on whether to impose a $20 fine for public swearing. Officials insist the proposal, offered by the town's police chief, is not intended ...

New York City pension funds file Wal-Mart suit

No elegant technical fixes for distracted driving

NEW YORK (AP) - When does a smartphone make you dumb? When you're driving. Dialing or texting on a phone is a proven distraction when you're behind the wheel. And as "smart" as today's phones are, they can't compensate for human folly. Phone makers and software developers are making a valiant effort to create elegant technical solutions, but, try as they might, they've yet to solve the problem of distracted driving. A new survey, released ...

Nation news briefs

• 'GREEN ACRES' CHARACTER ACTOR FRANK CADY DIES: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Frank Cady, a character actor best known as the general-store owner on the sitcom "Green Acres," has died. He was 96.

Cost to lunch with Warren Buffett: $3.5 million

Police: Newlyweds killed man from Craigslist

SUNBURY, Pa. (AP) - A couple married for just three weeks lured a man to his death with a Craigslist ad because they wanted to kill someone together, police said.

NKorea deports US tourist and war vet

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea said Saturday it has deported an elderly U.S. tourist and war veteran detained for more than a month for alleged hostile acts against the country.

Obama, Bush, Clinton to travel to South Africa

WASHINGTON (AP) - At least three American presidents will travel to South Africa to attend memorial services for anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who died Thursday at age 95.

NSA defends global cellphone tracking

US allows eagle deaths to aid wind power

WASHINGTON (AP) - Under pressure from the wind-power industry, the Obama administration said Friday it will allow companies to kill or injure eagles without the fear of prosecution for up to three decades.

Experts want Uncle Sam to spend taxes studying how happy we are

News from around the nation

COUPLE ACCIDENTALLY GETS BAG OF CASH AT DRIVE-THRU

Amish girl won't be forced to renew chemo treatment

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - A court-appointed guardian is dropping her attempt to force an 11-year-old Amish girl with leukemia to resume chemotherapy after she and her parents fled their home to avoid treatment.

Illinois governor signs pension overhaul into law

CHICAGO (AP) - In a private ceremony attended by a handful of lawmakers, Gov. Pat Quinn signed landmark legislation Thursday to reform Illinois' massively-underfunded pension system, though labor unions immediately threatened a lawsuit challenging the new law.

COLD SNAP GLANCE

From California to Ohio, a big chunk of the U.S. is getting a blast of wintry weather. Frigid temperatures are following a storm that's bringing snow and ice to many areas. The conditions are making travel difficult, raising concerns about citrus crops and prompting the cancellation of fights, holiday festivities and football games. Even one outdoor ice rink in cold-accustomed South Dakota is shutting down.

Dreaming of a warm, happy place

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - With the wind chill falling to almost minus 40, Steve Hendershot's mind was elsewhere Thursday as he and his crew of roustabouts worked an oil rig in North Dakota's booming oil patch.

Fast-food workers across the country push for wage hikes

Fast-food NEW YORK (AP) - Fast-food workers and labor organizers marched, waved signs and chanted in cities across the country on Thursday in a push for higher wages.

Jobs report to show if US economy is for real

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. economy is growing faster, corporate profits are rising and companies are laying off the fewest workers in six years.

Temps reach dangerous level for citrus

VISALIA (AP) - Officials say temperatures in the citrus-rich San Joaquin Valley dropped to the low 20s overnight, but it was too early to tell whether there was any crop damage.

Bratton named NYPD commish again

NEW YORK (AP) - William Bratton, whose tenure as New York City police commissioner in the 1990s was marked by a steep decline in crime and clashes with then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, has been chosen to lead the nation's largest police force again.