US, Mexico close to water use pact

Colo., Wash. await federal response to pot measures

Final NJ schoolyard slayings defendant convicted

CIA Director David Petraeus quits over affair

Change coming to Obama's team, just not right away

'Next Bush' makes campaign filing in Texas

DALLAS (AP) - A Texas official says a nephew of former President George W. Bush has made a campaign filing that is required for someone to run for office in his home state. Tim Sorrells, general counsel for the Texas Ethics Commission, says George P. Bush filed a campaign treasurer appointment on Wednesday. Sorrells told The Associated Press on Thursday night the ...

Fast Facts

Breastfeeding baby doll: creepy or groundbreaking?

Odd News

MAN NAPPING IN FIELD RUN OVER BY COMBINE, SURVIVES: BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A man napping in a Montana cornfield was startled out of his snooze when he was run over by a large harvesting machine - and Yellowstone County deputies say he's lucky to be alive.

Judge halts part of human trafficking initiative

Gay-marriage backers end losing streak, look ahead to more change

NEW YORK (AP) - For years, foes of same-sex marriage had a potent talking point: They'd won every time the issue went to a popular vote. That winning streak has now been shattered in a multi-state electoral sweep by gay marriage supporters - a historic tipping point likely to influence other states and possibly even the Supreme Court.

Pot votes in 2 states challenge US drug war

DENVER (AP) - First came marijuana as medicine. Now comes legal pot for the people. Those who have argued for decades that legalizing and taxing weed would be better than a costly, failed U.S. drug war have their chance to prove it, as Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow pot for recreational use. While the measures earned support from broad swaths of the electorate in both states Tuesday, they are likely to ...

New storm bears down on battered NYC, NJ

Deer crashes through carpet store

CASTLE SHANNON, Pa. (AP) - This deer wasn't caught in the headlights. It was called on the carpet. A Pittsburgh-area carpeting store has been cleaning up after the wild animal smashed into the store and ran amok Tuesday. Jill Horvatic, an employee of Stout Carpeting in Castle Shannon, tells WPXI-TV that she hid while the animal ran around, ...

FBI help sought for finding 'Speed Freak' mass murder victims

STOCKTON (AP) - The sheriff of San Joaquin County plans to ask the FBI to take over the job of searching for and recovering the remains of victims linked to two serial murderers known as the Speed Freak Killers following criticism of his agency's handling of the delicate retrieval operation. Sheriff Steve Moore announced his intentions Tuesday after the mother of one ...

Study: Bill would cost $6.3 trillion

Woman accused of faking rape, fraud

Funeral director considers burial offers

Funeral director considers burial offers

ACT to start giving tests digitally

3 missing women found in Cleveland

Nation news briefs

2 DROWN IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY RIVER: SACRAMENTO (AP) - Two men drowned in a Sacramento County river over the weekend in separate incidents that officials are blaming on the cold water.

Man accused of lying seeks release

BOSTON (AP) - Lawyers for a man charged with lying to investigators after the Boston Marathon bombings are asking a federal judge to release him from jail, saying he had nothing to do with the deadly bombings and isn't a flight risk.

Uncle arranging suspect’s burial rites

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - The uncle of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev arrived in Massachusetts on Sunday to arrange for his burial, saying he understands that "no one wants to associate their names with such evil events."

Obama to grads: Reject cynical voices

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A year to the day after kicking off his victorious re-election campaign on this college campus, President Barack Obama returned to Ohio State University and told graduates that only through vigorous participation in their democracy can they right an ill-functioning government and break through relentless cynicism about the nation's future.

Solar powered plane lands in Arizona

PHOENIX (AP) - Alone in the single-seat cockpit and high above the American Southwest, pilot Bertrand Piccard could hear only his plane's gear box and the quiet whine of four electric motors. No noisy jet engines.

Giffords receives Profile in Courage award

BOSTON (AP) - Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords received the 2013 Profile in Courage award at the John F. Kennedy Library on Sunday in recognition of the political, personal, and physical courage she has demonstrated in her fearless public advocacy for policy reforms aimed at reducing gun violence.

Utah cabin had uninvited guests: 60,000 or so bees

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - It was the biggest beehive that that Ogden beekeeper Vic Bachman has ever removed - a dozen feet long, packed inside the eaves of a cabin in Ogden Valley.

Gerbils strut their stuff at New England pageant

BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) - The American Gerbil Society's annual pageant brought dozens of rodents scurrying to New England this weekend for a chance to win "top gerbil."

Nation news briefs

• WOMAN USED FACEBOOK TO HARASS HERSELF, COPS SAY: GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - A western Michigan woman is accused of creating a Facebook account to stalk herself.

Priest with history of molestation resigns