Hurricane claims famous tall ship off NC coast

Side Briefs

LA BULLDOZES FENCE AROUND OCCUPY PROTEST HOME: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles city officials have torn down a 6-foot-tall wooden fence surrounding a home whose owners are fighting a bank-ordered eviction.

Crane dangles from NYC high-rise, clearing streets

Why Sandy expected to be superstorm

1. A NORTHBOUND HURRICANE: Hurricane Sandy is moving slowly northeast and but is expected to turn to the north and west later Sunday and Monday, forecasters say. At some point, it's expected to become what's known as an extratropical storm. Unlike a hurricane, which gets its power from warm ocean waters, extratropical systems are driven by temperature contrasts in the atmosphere.

Eastern states brace for dangerous superstorm Weather system endangering 50 million

NEW YORK (AP) - From Washington to Boston, big cities and small towns Sunday buttoned up against the onslaught of a superstorm that could endanger 50 million people in the most heavily populated corridor in the nation, with forecasters warning that the New York area could get the worst of it - an 11-foot wall of water.

Hurricane Sandy grounds thousands of flights

NEW YORK (AP) - Airlines hastily canceled flights in the Northeast Sunday as Hurricane Sandy moved up the coast. The massive storm threatens to bring a near halt to air travel for at least two days in a key region for both domestic and international flights.

NYSE to trade electronically Monday, shut floor

NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Stock Exchange and the NYMEX are shutting their trading floors in New York today as Hurricane Sandy bears down on the Big Apple.

Expanded Neon Museum in Las Vegas reopens

LAS VEGAS (AP) - In a city known for detonating buildings past their prime, Las Vegas' Neon Museum stands alone in its zeal for salvaging the blinking, glowing memories of Sin City's past.

1st Native American saint stirs pride, skepticism

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Some traditional Mohawks are treating the naming of the nation's first Native American saint with skepticism and fear that the Roman Catholic Church is using it to shore up its image and marginalize traditional spiritual practices.

Twins charged in murder of their host whose body was put in concrete

Trooper fired from chopper to simply stop truck, but ends up killing two people

‘Patio furniture re-arranger' hits NM home

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A family says an unwelcome visitor keeps striking their Albuquerque home with an unusually goal - to re-arrange their patio furniture. The unknown woman enters onto the family's property to change things around for some peculiar reason. Surveillance footage shows her walking up to the front porch early in the morning and moving around the family's patio furniture. ...

Senators demand White House declassify Libya attack video

Sen. Reid leaves hospital after Vegas car crash

Hacker gains access to 3.6M SC tax returns

Cop convicted in death of unarmed teen

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma jury Tuesday convicted a veteran police captain of first-degree manslaughter in the death of an unarmed teenager who was running away after scuffling with the officer.

Teen cartel killer released in Mexico, goes to US

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A 17-year-old U.S. citizen who acknowledged being a killer for a Mexican drug cartel finished his three-year juvenile-offender term for homicide, kidnapping and drug and weapons possession and returned to the United States.

Mother of bullied girl wants tougher laws

Obama pushes back against critics of Iran deal

Thanksgiving-Hanukkah overlap dilemma

Poll numbers down, Obama tells donors to buck up & give money

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Stung by plunging approval numbers at a low point in his presidency, President Barack Obama is urging donors to buck up and making a thread-the-needle appeal for bipartisanship with Republicans even as he calls for replacing the House GOP majority and holding his Democratic edge in the Senate.

News from around the nation

SAN ANTONIO OFFICER ACCUSED OF RAPE IN POLICE CAR: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A San Antonio police officer is accused of handcuffing and raping a 19-year-old woman in a case decried by the police chief, who calls it "unthinkable."

Ohio prep football rape grand jury charges 4 more

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio school superintendent and three others were charged Monday with lying or failing to report possible child abuse after an investigation prompted by the rape of a nearly passed-out 16-year-old girl by two high school football players.

Newton gunman's motive still a mystery

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Why Adam Lanza went on his murderous shooting rampage at a Newtown elementary school is a mystery and may never be known, prosecutors said in a report Monday as they closed their yearlong investigation.

Ho, Ho, No! NYC Santa Claus parade comes to an end

Fashion police cracks down at Hawaii Army base

HONOLULU (AP) - A Hawaii Army base is trying to maintain decorum by monitoring what people are wearing and how they're behaving. A fashion police "Courtesy Patrol" at Schofield Barracks on Oahu is cracking down on civilian and off-duty soldier attire that's deemed inappropriate - including short shorts, bare midriffs, visible underwear, sagging pants and swimwear other than at the pool, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday. The two-person teams are also on the lookout for ...

Maltese Falcon' figure sells for more than $4M

NEW YORK (AP) - A statuette of a bird featured in the classic 1941 detective thriller "The Maltese Falcon" sold for more than $4 million at auction Monday. The final price on the 45-pound, 12-inch-tall prop was $4,085,000, according to Bonhams auction house. That includes Bonham's premium. The black figurine is one of two known cast lead statuettes made for John Huston's screen version of the film but the only one confirmed by Warner Bros. ...

Contractor charged with murder in collapse

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A cut-rate building contractor will face murder charges for a botched demolition in downtown Philadelphia that killed six people inside an adjacent store, officials announced Monday.

Police getting leftover Iraq trucks

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (AP) - Coming soon to your local sheriff: 18-ton, armor-protected military fighting vehicles with gun turrets and bulletproof glass that were once the U.S. answer to roadside bombs during the Iraq war.

Americans not willing to spend without deals

NEW YORK (AP) - This holiday season, Americans may not spend their green unless they see more red.