Big Bird flies high in 2012 presidential campaign via Obama television ad spot

Man's roach-eating death raises question: Why? Answers elusive

Sandusky gets at least 30 years, denies wrongdoing

Occupy members join police in bid to save man’s Georgia home

Obama looks to regroup; Romney appears confident as race tightens

Mom who glued kid's hands to wall faces life term

Skydiver eyes record-breaking jump over New Mexico from 23 miles up in stratosphere

UK police: Elderly couple unwittingly grew pot

LONDON (AP) - British police say an elderly couple unwittingly grew a monstrous cannabis plant in their yard after buying what they thought was an innocuous green bush at a flea market. Police in Bedford, a commuter town 90 kilometers (55 miles) from central London, posted a picture of a luxuriant cannabis plant growing as tall as the fence in what appeared ...

Man dies after live roach-eating contest

Man mad over soccer call shoves kid, kicks ref

CATHEDRAL CITY (AP) - Riverside County authorities say a man angry about a referee's call at a youth soccer game ran on to the field, shoved a 9-year-old player to the ground and kicked the referee. Jail records showed Monday that 38-year-old Rafael Delfin Sequeda was being held on $2,500 bail at Indio Larson Justice Center, suspected on two counts of battery. ...

Border agents opened fire on each other

PHOENIX (AP) - The U.S. Border Patrol agent killed last week in a shooting in southern Arizona apparently opened fire on two fellow agents thinking they were armed smugglers and was killed when they returned fire, the head of the Border Patrol agents' union said Sunday.

Police shoot, kill naked,unarmed college freshman

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - Classmates and friends are questioning why a police officer fatally shot a University of South Alabama freshman who was naked and had been banging on a window at police headquarters.

Odd News

COP IMPERSONATOR DEMANDED FREE FAST FOOD: ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Authorities in Florida say a man flashed a fake gun and badge and demanded free fast food at a McDonald's drive-thru.

Officials deal with Vegas' worst case of hoarding

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Armed with a court-signed abatement warrant, Las Vegas officials have swarmed a home to deal with what they call the worst case of hoarding they've ever seen.

Officials deal with Vegas' worst case of hoarding

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Armed with a court-signed abatement warrant, Las Vegas officials have swarmed a home to deal with what they call the worst case of hoarding they've ever seen. Officials began hauling away items from Kenneth Epstein's home on Friday after they found materials stacked from floor to ceiling inside and declared it uninhabitable, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. <p ...

Nation news briefs

POLICE DEFEND OFFICER WHO SHOT NY COLLEGE STUDENT: MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) - The president of a New York police union defended an officer who accidentally killed a Hofstra University student during a standoff with an armed intruder, saying Tuesday the only person responsible for the woman's death was the gunman who held her hostage.

IRS official to take the 5th at House hearing

Huge tornado hits Oklahoma City suburb, kills 51

MOORE, Okla. (AP) - A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 200 mph. At least 51 people were killed, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise.

Side Briefs

ANGRY MOB PELTS MAN THOUGHT TO BE SEX ATTACKER: DENVER (AP) - Residents angry that police had not warned them about sex assaults of children took matters into their own hands, chasing down a man they thought was the attacker, pelting him with rocks and leaving him with a bloody face in Colorado, authorities said Monday.

Volcano's ash prompts flight cancellations

Kentucky teen dies with dog lead on neck

Kentucky teen dies with dog lead on neck

Should wunderkinds drop out of high school?

Cardinal skips event over Irish PM's role

More Obama aides knew of IRS audit

1 SEAL dead, 7 sailors hurt in training accident

More time needed to indict Tsarnaev

Treasury told of IRS probe in June 2012

Marine, dog reunited in surprise ceremony at Iowa State Capitol

Navy pilot earns degree in combat zone

Dark clouds hang over air shows after budget cuts hit military services