Scouts' future uncertain if ban dropped

NEW YORK (AP) - The Boy Scouts of America's proposed move away from its no-gays membership policy has outraged some longtime admirers, gratified many critics and raised intriguing questions about the iconic organization's future.

Indiana couple fights fawn rescue charges

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Jeff Counceller says a dying fawn he found on someone's porch three years ago surely wouldn't have lived had he and his wife not nursed it back to health on their eastern Indiana farm. The Connersville police officer insists they had no clue that they could be breaking the law.

Gore hits corporate media, defends his Current TV sale

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Al Gore, who takes aim in his new book at the corporate media for "suffocating the free flow of ideas," on Tuesday defended the sale of his television channel to Al-Jazeera.

Guns used in crime not easy to trace

WASHINGTON (AP) - In the fictional world of television police dramas, a few quick clicks on a computer lead investigators to the owner of a gun recovered at a bloody crime scene. Before the first commercial, the TV detectives are on the trail of the suspect.

Ex-police captain released in ex-wife's killing

LONDON, Ohio (AP) - A former Ohio police captain who spent nearly 15 years in prison in his ex-wife's killing was released Tuesday hours after a judge ruled that DNA test results prove he's innocent and no reasonable jury would find otherwise.

SD senator seeks to get rid of ‘stealing spouse’ lawsuits

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota state senator had hoped a sensational trial that aired details of a prosecutor's romance would help him in his decade-long quest to get rid of a state law that allows people to seek financial damages from someone for stealing a spouse.

3 months after Sandy, victims still waiting for federal relief

NEW YORK (AP) - Devon Lawrence neatly stacked bricks on the gas burner of his kitchen stove and turned up the blue flame, creating a sort of radiator that warmed the ice-cold room.

1913 nickel likely to fetch millions

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A humble 5-cent coin with a storied past is headed to auction and bidding is expected to top $2 million a century after it was mysteriously minted.

Guns used in crime not easy to trace

WASHINGTON (AP) - In the fictional world of television police dramas, a few quick clicks on a computer lead investigators to the owner of a gun recovered at a bloody crime scene. Before the first commercial, the TV detectives are on the trail of the suspect.

Side Briefs

OBAMA ON IMMIGRATION OVERHAUL: 'NOW IS THE TIME' : LAS VEGAS (AP) - Declaring "now is the time" to fix the nation's broken immigration system, President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined broad proposals for putting millions of illegal immigrants on a clear path to citizenship while cracking down on businesses that employ people illegally and tightening security at the borders. He hailed a bipartisan Senate group on a similar track but left unresolved key details that could derail the complex and emotional effort.

Ex-Ill. Gov. Ryan faces changed world after 5 years in prison

CHICAGO (AP) - When former Illinois Gov. George Ryan steps out of prison on Wednesday after serving five-plus years for corruption, he will return to a life altered by personal tragedy and to a state altered by his and his successor's legacy of corruption.

Leafy greens top food poisoning source

NEW YORK (AP) - A big government study has fingered leafy greens like lettuce and spinach as the leading source of food poisoning, a perhaps uncomfortable conclusion for health officials who want us to eat our vegetables.

Texas woman's execution halted; DA won't appeal

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) - The first woman scheduled to be executed in the U.S. since 2010 won a reprieve Tuesday, mere hours before she was scheduled to be taken to the Texas death chamber.

Hagel supports nuclear arms elimination

WASHINGTON (AP) - Chuck Hagel, the likely next secretary of defense, would be the first to enter the Pentagon having publicly advocated for sharply reducing the number of U.S. nuclear weapons, possibly without equivalent cuts by Russia. He supports an international movement called Global Zero that favors eliminating all nuclear weapons.

Nation news briefs

FEMA to delay some flood insurance hikes

WASHINGTON (AP) - Some flood insurance premiums required under a 2012 law now won't be raised until the fall of 2015 at the earliest.

CVS plans to stop tobacco products sales

NEW YORK (AP) - CVS Caremark's decision to pull cigarettes and other tobacco products from its stores could ripple beyond the nation's second-largest drugstore chain.

Woman executed in Texas for 1998 torture killing

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) - A woman convicted of torturing and killing a mentally impaired man she lured to Texas with the promise of marriage was put to death Wednesday evening in a rare execution of a female prisoner.

Mysterious noises: Rare ‘frost quakes’

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Chuck Herron heard the loud thud, then another and another. It sounded like someone was dropping big snowballs on the roof of his home.

Oregon OKs offshore wind energy farm

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Seattle company is being given the green light to develop plans to build the West Coast's first offshore wind energy farm - five floating turbines off Oregon's Coos Bay, federal and state officials said Wednesday.

Missouri AG challenges California egg law

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri's attorney general has asked a federal court to strike down a California law regulating the living conditions of chickens, setting up a cross-country battle that pits new animal protections against the economic interests of Midwestern farmers.

Child traffic deaths drop 43% over decade

ATLANTA (AP) - Children are dying less often in traffic accidents: Over a decade, the number who died in crashes dropped by 43 percent, according to a new government report.

Catholic school teacher fired over pregnancy

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) - An unmarried teacher at a Roman Catholic middle school in Montana has been fired after getting pregnant, the Diocese of Helena confirmed.

George Lucas’ SF museum plan rejected

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The stewards of national park land at the base of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge rejected a museum proposal by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas.

16-year-old teen in skydiving accident walking with assistance

DALLAS (AP) - A 16-year-old North Texas girl who plummeted more than 3,000 feet to the ground in an Oklahoma skydiving accident walked with assistance Monday and is expected to fully recover, her doctor said Monday.

New entitlement? The right to preschool

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Republican governors and lawmakers who now control a majority of state capitols have been pushing aggressively to cut spending and shrink government - with one glaring exception.

Sugar, soda tied to fatal heart woes

CHICAGO (AP) - Could too much sugar be deadly? The biggest study of its kind suggests the answer is yes, at least when it comes to fatal heart problems.

Paint store driver kills manager, self

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - A paint company driver fatally shot a company manager and then killed himself Monday at a business park in this southwest Washington city.

Minnow 1st fish taken off endangered list

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) - A tiny minnow that lives only in Oregon backwaters is the first fish ever taken off U.S. Endangered Species Act protection because it is no longer threatened with extinction.

Former 2nd lady Joan Mondale dies at age 83

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Joan Mondale, who burnished a reputation as "Joan of Art" for her passionate advocacy for the arts while her husband was vice president and a U.S. ambassador, died Monday. She was 83.