NC activists angered by killing of 3-legged bear

BURNSVILLE, N.C. (AP) - A skinny, three-legged black bear had become a fixture at an upscale housing community deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, rummaging through trash cans and playfully ambling along the golf course

49 female inmates sickened by gas at Pa. prison

YORK, Pa. (AP) - Nearly 50 female inmates at a central Pennsylvania prison have been treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Facebook proposes to end voting on privacy issues

NEW YORK (AP) - Facebook is proposing to end its practice of letting users vote on changes to its privacy policies, though it will continue to let users comment on proposed updates.

Jockeying under way to replace Rep. Jackson Jr.

CHICAGO (AP) - The jockeying to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. began before the ink was dry on the former congressman's resignation letter.

Nation news briefs

POLICE: CUSTOMER AT NM GUN SHOP ACCIDENTALLY SHOT: SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) - An employee at a New Mexico gun shop who was unloading a handgun accidentally shot and wounded a customer in the back, authorities said Wednesday.

At public meetings, fights over whether to allow opening prayers still drag on

Drought worsens after weeks of improvement

Economy makes for tougher journeys

Drivers pay more for gas, but still give thanks

NEW YORK (AP) - Many drivers are giving more at the pump than a year ago but they still have reason to be thankful. Prices in many parts of the country have fallen recently, and AAA says gas prices could end the year lower than where they started.

US, Mexico sign rules on sharing Colorado River

Boy charged in fatal shooting on Florida bus

Hostess says talks to stave off shutdown fail

NEW YORK (AP) - Hostess Brands Inc. lived to die another day. The maker of Twinkies and Ding Dongs said late Tuesday that it failed to reach an agreement with its second-biggest union. As a result, Hostess plans to continue with a hearing today in which a bankruptcy court judge in White Plains, N.Y., will decide if the company can shutter its ...

Rubble cleanup a massive task in NY, NJ

Israel, Hamas trade fire, tough truce proposals

Nation news briefs

MASS. TRANSGENDER INMATE SEEKING ELECTROLYSIS: BOSTON (AP) - A transgender inmate who won a court order for taxpayer-funded sex-change surgery has no medical need for further electrolysis treatments, a prisons department psychiatrist testified Monday.

Navy Yard gunman had access pulled

WASHINGTON (AP) - The company that employed the Washington Navy Yard shooter pulled his access to classified material for two days in August when mental health problems became evident, but restored it quickly and never told Navy officials about the withdrawal, The Associated Press has learned.

Anniversary of JFK death brings sadness, solemnity

DALLAS (AP) - It was the same time, 12:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 22. It was the same place, downtown Dallas.

Lee U. students apologize for blackface costume

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Two students at Lee University in Tennessee have apologized for wearing blackface when they dressed up for a rap-themed party last week.

Duke lacrosse accuser found guilty of murder

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - The woman who falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape was convicted of second-degree murder Friday in the stabbing death of her boyfriend. The jury deliberated for about six hours over two days before reaching its verdict in the trial of 34-year-old Crystal Mangum, who was sentenced to between 14 years and 18 years in prison. Killed was 46-year-old Reginald Daye, who was stabbed on April 3, 2011. He ...

'Monster' cosmic blast zipped harmlessly by Earth

WASHINGTON (AP) - Astronomers call it the monster. It was the biggest and brightest cosmic explosion ever witnessed. Had it been closer, Earth would have been toast.

More drivers positive for pot in Washington

Board member-elect apologizes for Newtown comment

BROOKFIELD, Conn. (AP) - A newly elected school board member in a Connecticut town neighboring the one where 26 people were killed at an elementary school has apologized for saying on Facebook that he'll observe the anniversary of the Newtown shooting by distributing ammunition. Gregory Beck of Brookfield was referring to a tribute known as "26 Days of Kindness," which began Tuesday and runs through Dec. 14, the anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook ...

Is there a knockout game epidemic?

NYC residents squawk about nuisance turkeys

News from around the nation

DEMOCRATS VOTE TO CURB FILIBUSTERS ON APPOINTEES: WASHINGTON (AP) - Sweeping aside a century of precedent, Democrats took a chunk out of the Senate's hallowed filibuster tradition on Thursday and cleared the way for speedy confirmation of controversial appointments made by President Barack Obama and chief executives in the future.

Obama pays tribute to John F. Kennedy legacy

WASHINGTON (AP) - Honoring the legacy of John F. Kennedy, President Barack Obama laid a wreath at the assassinated president's gravesite as a nation remembers that terrible day in Dallas a half-century ago Friday. Obama also recognized a group of distinguished Americans - including Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey - with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, an award created by Kennedy. <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: ...

Animal welfare group accuses school of cruelty

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Animal welfare officials on Wednesday accused Georgia Regents University of performing unnecessary and painful dental implant procedures on dogs, then euthanizing them. A three-month undercover investigation revealed that dogs have had their teeth pulled, replaced with implants and then euthanized, said Humane Society of the United States spokeswoman Stephanie Twining. She added that jaw bone samples were taken from dead dogs. The experiments were being done to compare a dental implant ...

Shopping cart destruction campaign ends

HONOLULU (AP) - A Hawaii legislator said he will no longer use a sledgehammer to smash stolen and abandoned shopping carts used by homeless people to carry belongings in Waikiki. State Rep. Tom Brower, D-Ala Moana-Waikiki, said he has raised the issue of the public eyesores and will wait to see what happens, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday. "It's time to put down the sledgehammer. The point that I was trying to make has been ...

Reagan's role in Google, Yahoo hacking

SAN JOSE (AP) - Back when Yahoo was something hollered at a rodeo and no one could conceive of Googling anything, President Ronald Reagan signed an executive order that extended the power of U.S. intelligence agencies overseas, allowing broader surveillance of non-U.S. suspects. At the time, no one imagined he was granting authority to spy on what became known as Silicon Valley. <p class="MsoNormal" ...

Macy’s ballooning animal controversies