Dangerous booby traps found on popular Utah trail; two arrested

Number of US illegal immigrants from Mexico drops by almost 900,000 people

Now out of jail, Zimmerman fades from sight

Twins born 25 weeks prematurely after mom stays on respirator for a month

Watergate figure Charles Colson has died at 80

LANSDOWNE, Va. (AP) - Charles Colson, the tough-as-nails special counsel to President Richard Nixon who went to prison for his role in a Watergate-related case and became a Christian evangelical helping inmates, has died. He was 80.

Detroit fire boss: Let some vacant buildings burn to ground to reduce manpower costs

DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit Fire Department could adjust to a looming 15 percent budget cut by allowing some abandoned buildings burn to the ground, according to the city's top fire official.

Iran says it recovered data from captured US drone, plans to build one

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran claimed Sunday that it had recovered data from an American spy drone that went down in Iran last year, including information that the aircraft was used to spy on Osama bin Laden weeks before he was killed. Iran also said it was building a copy of the drone.

Report: Wal-Mart hushed up bribe its subsidiary made in Mexico to open stores

NEW YORK (AP) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. hushed up a vast bribery campaign that top executives of its Mexican subsidiary carried out to build stores across that country, according to a published report.

Hatch withstands tea party opposition

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The tea party movement solidified its presence as a force within the Republican Party two years ago when it helped orchestrate the defeat of three-term Sen. Bob Bennett at Utah GOP's nominating convention. But it fell short this weekend of doing the same to Sen. Orrin Hatch.

Paper devotes front page to fighting bullying

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - In a rare and forceful act of advocacy, an Iowa newspaper devoted the entire front page of its Sunday edition to an anti-bullying editorial after a gay teen committed suicide.

1 in 2 new college graduates are jobless or underemployed

WASHINGTON (AP) - The college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work.

National News Briefs

ALL EYES ON FLA. JAIL AS ZIMMERMAN AWAITS RELEASE: SANFORD, Fla. (AP) - All eyes remain on the Florida jail where the man charged with murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is awaiting release on bail, and it could be several days before he leaves.

Stinky fish helps limit potfest at University of Colorado

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Stinky fish fertilizer and two dozen law-enforcement officers kept pot smokers away from a grassy quad at the University of Colorado on Friday, but a few hundred protesters defied the crackdown and rallied on another field, where some lit up at 4:20 p.m.

Obama enjoys 10-1 financial edge over Romney with more than $104M on hand

Dog kills, dismembers SC 2-month-old

Trooper who gave murder suspects ride to another shooting demoted

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A veteran Ohio trooper who has since been demoted violated State Highway Patrol policies when he picked up two teenage murder suspects on a highway and gave them a ride to a nearby truck stop where police say they shot and injured a man, according to the report from the internal investigation. Jeff Shane broke agency rules by not patting down the teens for weapons and getting their names to check ...

King papers go for more than $130K

NEW YORK (AP) - Some civil rights movement history went up for sale Thursday, as papers from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., including speech outlines and letters, brought in more than $130,000 at auction. They were sold by 88-year-old Maude Ballou, who worked as King's secretary from 1955 to 1960, through the New York office of Texas-based Heritage Auctions. A series of handwritten notes outlining one of King's speeches, his farewell address when he ...

Good night's sleep cleans out gunk

LOS ANGELES (AP) - When we sleep, our brains get rid of gunk that builds up while we're awake, suggests a study that may provide new clues to treat Alzheimer's disease and other disorders.

Donor egg pregnancies on the rise

Worker: Fired for helping assaulted woman?

HARTLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A Michigan man says he was fired from his job at Wal-Mart after he tried to help a woman being assaulted in the parking lot of one of the retail giant's stores and ended up fighting with her attacker. Kristopher Oswald told WXYZ-TV in Detroit (that Wal-Mart has policies against workplace violence to prevent employees from assaulting co-workers or tackling a shoplifter, but that it appears that nothing allows for ...

Man shot dead after getting lost in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) - An Arkansas man who police say got lost driving around the city was shot and killed early Thursday, apparently by a man he had just asked for directions.

Vt. college student suspended in 9/11 flag removal

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (AP) - A Vermont college student who removed American flags set up to commemorate the Sept. 11 attacks has been suspended for a year. Middlebury College students set up about 3,000 flags every year to remember 9/11 victims. This year, a handful of people removed the flags and put them in garbage bags. The college said in an Oct. 11 news release one of the people was a student who acknowledged her participation. ...

News from around the nation

Facebook to let teens share with bigger audience

MENLO PARK (AP) - Facebook is now allowing teenagers to share their posts on the social network with anyone on the Internet, raising the risks of minors leaving a digital trail that could lead to trouble.

Congress ends shutdown, avoids default

WASHINGTON (AP) - Up against a deadline, Congress passed and sent a waiting President Barack Obama legislation late Wednesday night to avoid a threatened national default and end the 16-day partial government shutdown, the culmination of an epic political drama that placed the U.S. economy at risk.

Four dead after boat capsizes

NH gas clerk fired for pulling gun on robber

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) - A New Hampshire gas station clerk who thwarted an attempted robbery by pulling out a handgun was fired because company policy prohibits staff from carrying firearms. Shannon "Bear" Cothran told the Telegraph of Nashua he was working at a Shell station in Nashua early Monday when a man approached him with a knife. Police confirmed that the would-be robber fled after the clerk pulled out a gun. Cothran said he then ...

Bank customer killed in Reno, Nev., robbery

RENO (AP) - A customer was killed Wednesday when a robber opened fire inside a Bank of America branch, leaving employees and other patrons traumatized, police said. The holdup happened around 10 a.m., after the gunman apparently took a taxi to the branch on South Virginia Street, Reno police Lt. William Rulla told The Associated Press. The gunman fled but was followed by bystanders to a bus stop at Meadowood Mall across the street. He ...

74-year-old to her rapist: 'Rot in hell'

NEW YORK (AP) - As she faced the ex-convict who raped her in Central Park, a 74-year-old woman condemned him Wednesday with composed anger, calling him a "sexual terrorist" and an "evil infestation."

Curious worker set off dry ice bombs

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A baggage handler arrested after dry ice bombs exploded at Los Angeles International Airport planted the three devices out of personal curiosity, police said Wednesday.