Zimmerman leaves jail on $1M bond

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2 BOYS DIE FROM ELECTRICAL SHOCK IN TENNESSEE LAKE: BEAN STATION, Tenn. (AP) - Investigators say a second boy has died after being shocked by a suspected faulty cord from a houseboat as they swam in a Tennessee lake.

Odd News

PITTSBURGH SUBURB SHOOTS OFF FIREWORKS IN CEMETERY: MOUNT LEBANON, Pa. (AP) - Residents are debating the wisdom of a Pittsburgh suburb's decision to launch its July 4th fireworks display from a cemetery.

Hundreds of thousands still without power

Romney's wife says woman being eyed for vice president on ticket

Zimmerman bail set at $1M ; judge believes he was plotting to leave US

Romney calls Obama’s health care requirement a tax, echoes court view

WOLFEBORO, N.H. (AP) - Mitt Romney on Wednesday said requiring all Americans to buy health insurance amounts to a tax, contradicting a senior campaign adviser who days ago said the Republican presidential candidate viewed President Barack Obama's mandate as anything but a tax.

Many Americans have throwback Fourth without power as Midwest, East bake

MOUNT VERNON, Va. (AP) - George Washington never had air conditioning, but he knew how to keep cool: a mansion with lots of windows elevated on the banks of a wide, rolling river and lots of ice cream, maybe with a little brandy.

New tests revive debate over Arafat death

JERUSALEM (AP) - The discovery of traces of a radioactive agent on clothing reportedly worn by Yasser Arafat in his final days reignited a cauldron of conspiracy theories Wednesday about the mysterious death of the longtime Palestinian leader.

2 accidents raise storm, blackout toll to 26

BALTIMORE (AP) - The Mid-Atlantic region is struggling to get back to normal after deadly, power-cutting storms and sweltering heat.

Rain cools Colo. fires, other wildfires grow

DENVER (AP) - Rains cooled Colorado's wildfires Wednesday, but more than a dozen wildfires elsewhere in the West continued chewing through bone-dry pine and brush as firefighters working through the holiday kept a nervous eye for fireworks and other hazards.

To beer, or not to beer? ‘Can ban’ slows tourism

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (AP) - When it comes to new laws, Texas usually saves its bewilderment for ones from Washington. But this scorching summer, it's a single city ordinance on the popular Guadalupe River that is stirring frustration and confusion.

Nation news briefs

• SURVEY: NEXT PRESIDENT FACES HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT: WASHINGTON (AP) - A majority of economists in the latest Associated Press Economy Survey expect the national unemployment rate to stay above 6 percent - the upper bounds of what's considered healthy - for at least four more years.

Nation news briefs

JETBLUE PILOT NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF INSANITY: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - A federal judge in Texas found a JetBlue Airways pilot who left the cockpit during a flight and screamed about religion and terrorists not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday.

Andy Griffith, creator of Mayberry, dies at 86

Is California realignment working?

SACRAMENTO (AP) - In response to a federal court order, Gov. Jerry Brown pushed a novel approach through the Legislature two years ago to dramatically reduce California's prison population.

Compassionate release buoys old inmates

NEW YORK (AP) - At age 88, John Rigas could be a poster child for inmates who might seek early release from prison because of the hazards of advanced aging.

50 years on, finding profit in ‘truth’ on JFK assassination

DALLAS (AP) - On the very day John F. Kennedy died, a cottage industry was born. Fifty years and hundreds of millions of dollars later, it's still thriving.

Drowsy driving kills 11,000 in 10 years

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) - It probably happens to most drivers.

Amtrak unveils new locomotives

SACRAMENTO (AP) - When Amtrak unveils the first of 70 new locomotives Monday at a plant in Sacramento, it will mark what the national passenger railroad service hopes will be a new era of better reliability, streamlined maintenance and better energy efficiency.

17 wounded in New Orleans parade shooting

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Gunmen opened fire on dozens of people marching in a Mother's Day second-line parade in New Orleans on Sunday, wounding at least 17 people, police said.

‘Idol’ judges drama upstaging singers

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The ratings are down. Randy Jackson is out. Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj are still at it.

Paramedic in West, Texas, facing charges

WEST, Texas (AP) - Three days after a massive explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant, Bryce Reed climbed onto a coffee table at a local hotel where displaced families picked over donated sweatshirts and pizza. Wearing a navy blue shirt emblazoned with "West EMS," he gathered the crowd close.

Portland airport stripper fights $1K federal fine

Nation news briefs

Criminal probe into plant explosion

Man damages 4 homes with bulldozer

Suspect buried in Virginia cemetery

Theater apologizes for actor carrying fake gun in stunt

Spire installed on WTC tower