Snooki, hosting MTV's New Year's Eve show

LOS ANGELES (AP) - New York's Times Square is getting a little bit Jersey for New Year's Eve. MTV says "Jersey Shore" stars Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jenni "JWOWW" Farley and comedian Jeff Dye will host the network's live New Year's Eve special from Times Square. "MTV's Club NYE 2013" will also feature performances from Ke$ha, Ne-Yo, Sean ...

Gay Washington couples get marriage licenses

Mormon church seeking more compassion for gays

At 450 pounds, killer fights execution

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - At about 450 pounds, Ohio death row inmate Ronald Post is so fat that his executioners won't be able to find veins in his arms or legs for the lethal injection, and he might even break the death chamber gurney, his lawyers say.

Woman killed after car, motorized wheelchair bump

ATLANTA (AP) - An elderly man opened fire on a woman after her car came into contact with his motorized wheelchair at a central Georgia service station, authorities said Wednesday. She died shortly afterward at a hospital despite the efforts of a crowd of people to aid her.

NY subway victim’s daughter: ‘What’s done is done’

NEW YORK (AP) - The daughter of a man pushed in front of a subway train and photographed a split-second before his death said Wednesday after a suspect was arrested that it "would have been great" if someone had helped her father up but "what's done is done."

Nation news briefs

NEW STUNNING NIGHTTIME VIEWS OF EARTH UNVEILED: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Twinkling city lights, raging wildfires and colorful auroras are lit up in new dazzling nighttime views of the Earth.

Houston-area town's mayor for 63 years dead at 92

RICHMOND, Texas (AP) - Hilmar Moore, who has been mayor of the Southeast Texas town of Richmond since 1949, has died at age 92. Moore died Tuesday night after a lengthy illness, his wife, Evelyn Moore, said Wednesday. Hilmar Moore was the nation's longest-serving mayor of uninterrupted tenure, according to the website for the city of Richmond, which is about 25 miles ...

Celebrations planned as Washington legalizes marijuana possession today

Below surface, moon reveals a "shattered" history

Odd News

Chicago-area restaurant gives away 10,000 Twinkies ORLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) - A suburban Chicago restaurant has given away about 10,000 Twinkies. Baby's Cheesesteak and Lemonade gave away the coveted treats Wednesday at its locations in Orland Park and Country Club Hills along with 2,200 chocolate cupcakes. The restaurant got the idea ...

Amazon launches Kindle content for kids

Nation news briefs

SUSPECT BEING QUESTIONED IN DEADLY NYC SUBWAY PUSH : NEW YORK (AP) - Police questioned a suspect Tuesday in the death of a New Yorker who was pushed onto the tracks and photographed just before a train hit him - an image that drew virulent criticism after it appeared on the front page of the New York Post.

Infighting in GOP as party leaders remove 4 from House budget, defense committees

Grizzly managers look toward hunts in Rockies

Odd News

Study: Even for drop-outs, college pays

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - It sounds like the worst of all worlds - borrowing money for college, then dropping out and facing the debt without a degree.

Nation news briefs

HOUSTON WOMAN CLAIMS SELF-DEFENSE IN HEEL STABBING: HOUSTON (AP) - Officials say a Houston woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death with a stiletto high heel told police she was trying to protect herself.

Free gun initiative begins in Houston

HOUSTON (AP) - Houston resident Cheryl Strain's inexperience with guns was apparent as she struggled to load shells into a 20-gauge shotgun.

Obama, Xi signal new start with walk in the desert

PALM SPRINGS (AP) - It may not have been Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev's Cold War walk by a frozen lake in Switzerland.

Stripped-down Harley roaring back

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Some motorcycle enthusiasts feared Keith Wandell might be the outsider who drove Harley-Davidson into the ground. Instead, he may be remembered as the guy who kept the motorcycle maker on the road.

After Sandy: Soaring flood insurance

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) - George Kasimos has almost finished repairing flood damage to his waterfront home, but his Superstorm Sandy nightmare is far from over.

Lost Lincoln document found at college

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - In losing a president, Lycoming College found a piece of its history.

Erin Brockovich ia arrested while boating in Nevada

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Environmental activist Erin Brockovich, portrayed by Julia Roberts in a 2000 movie about her fight over the pollution of a California town, was arrested on suspicion of boating while intoxicated at Lake Mead near Las Vegas, authorities said Sunday.

Casino cocktail waitresses fight shoe rules

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (AP) - Cheryl Haase has been serving cocktails for more than two decades, and the 52-year-old waitress says she has a list of foot ailments to prove it.

Auto industry about to go on hiring spree

DETROIT (AP) - The auto industry is about to go on a hiring spree as car makers and parts suppliers race to find engineers, technicians and factory workers to build the next generation of vehicles.

Obama: Records sweep not targeting American citizens

IRS targeting: Was it limited to Cincinnati office?

Actress charged in Obama ricin threat

Boston hospital cleaning Egyptian mummy