House GOP picks woman for a top leadership post

WASHINGTON (AP) - Stinging from double-digit election losses among female voters, House Republicans elected a woman to their top leadership team Wednesday in a tense test of gender politics and the clout of the GOP's power brokers.

Pelosi running again for House leader post

Woman who drove on sidewalk holds ‘idiot’ sign

CLEVELAND (AP) - A Cleveland woman puffed on a cigarette, wore headphones, and ignored passers-by and crowds of reporters as she stood for an hour Tuesday under a judge's order holding a sign that said, "Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus."

Ryan: Shocked at loss, says Obama won fair and square

WASHINGTON (AP) - The polling and other data and all the smart people watching the election gave Rep. Paul Ryan an optimistic view on the night of last week's election. When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney lost, his running mate felt "a bit of a shock."

Boat needed in one Minneapolis voting precinct

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Not one voter cast a ballot in one Minneapolis precinct on Election Day. That's because the only living species in Ward 10, Precinct 3B, is of the aquatic variety.

Charter school enrollment now tops 2 million

WASHINGTON (AP) - Enrollment in charter schools increased by 200,000 students last year and now tops 2 million, according to a report being released Wednesday.

General demoted for lavish travel, spending

Scandal widens; General's emails 'flirtatious'

Oxford Dictionaries chooses omnishambles' as word of year

LONDON (AP) - Britain's media are in a meltdown and its government is gaffe-prone, so Oxford Dictionaries has chosen an apt Word of the Year: "omnishambles." <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; background: white; ...

LatAm leaders call for review of US legal pot vote

Petraeus said to be shocked by girlfriend's emails that threatened another woman

Deficit talk test GOP focus on tax rates

Tulsa dad arrested after toddler found in cage

Many on NY's Long Island still dark after Sandy

Major hurdles remain to end veteran homelessness

CHULA VISTA (AP) - Arthur Lute's arduous journey from his days as a U.S. Marine to his nights sleeping on the streets illustrates the challenge for the Obama administration to fulfill its promise to end homelessness among veterans by 2015.

Poll: The online generation wants it

Teacher blames job loss on abusive ex

Prosecutors push for anti-phone theft measures

Odd News

POLICE: THIEF GETS STUCK IN MUD AFTER BURGLARY: FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Police say a man who robbed a Foxborough home had to call a tow truck after getting stuck in the mud while making his getaway.

2 dead in area burned by wildfire

Obama to step up military support of rebels

Police: Gunman shot 3, self at St. Louis business

1 dead, 77 hurt in Louisiana plant explosion

Nation news briefs

ZIMMERMAN JURORS TO BE SEQUESTERED UP TO A MONTH: SANFORD, Fla. (AP) - The six jurors and four alternates eventually picked to hear the second-degree murder case of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman will be sequestered for the two to four weeks the trial will last, the judge presiding over the case said for the first time Thursday.

Idaho high school drops Redskins logo, mascot

DRIGGS, Idaho (AP) - An Idaho high school will drop its longtime "Redskins" nickname, logo and mascot in a move its top administrator says was made to show respect for Native Americans. The decision at Teton High School in Driggs is a way to encourage students and the community to see beyond skin color and stereotypes, said Monte Woolstenhulm, superintendent of District 401. Motivation also came from renewed efforts nationally to change nicknames and logos ...

Pool water heater cited in NC motel deaths

Rare Superman comic book sells for $175,000

Committee rejects overhaul of military justice

Prosecutor says man endangered teen's life in hoax

Boy admits killing mom in fight over chores

MILLERSBURG, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio boy admitted he fatally shot his mother in the head with a rifle when he was 10 after what a relative described as an argument over chores. The boy, now 13, entered the equivalent of a guilty plea Monday in juvenile court. In January 2011, the boy went to a neighbor's house, called 911 and told the dispatcher he had shot his mother at their home in rural Holmes ...