
Gunman kills woman at Pa. church, 2 men elsewhere
A man fatally shot a woman decorating for a children's Christmas party at a tiny church hall and killed two men elsewhere in a rural township on ...

A week after school massacre, new details emerge
As the nation paused for the one-week anniversary of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, new details emerged Friday about the gunman, Adam ...
Apprehensions of non-Mexican migrants up in Texas
Non-Mexican illegal immigrants account for a slender majority of the agency's recent apprehensions in South Texas, Border Patrol officials said Friday

Bells toll for victims one week after shooting
The chiming of bells reverberated throughout Newtown on Friday, commemorating one week since the crackle of gunfire in a schoolhouse killed 20 ...

Lawyer: Man likely back in Chicago jail he escaped
A convicted bank robber captured days after a daring escape from a high-rise jail in downtown Chicago will likely return to the same federal lockup, ...

Crafters send mittens with a message to Newtown
"Chester Raccoon stood at the edge of the forest and cried. 'I don't want to go to school,' he told his mother. 'I want to stay home with you. I want ...
Coalition soldier missing in Afghanistan
A search is under way in southern Afghanistan for a soldier from the NATO-led coalition, believed to be the first to have gone missing since a U.S.

US durable goods orders up 0.7 percent
U.S. companies boosted their orders in November for long-lasting manufactured goods that reflect investment plans. It was the second straight such ...

Newtown first responders carry heavy burdens
While the people of Newtown do their best to cope with loss and preserve the memories of their loved ones, another class of residents is also finding ...
Chicago police 'code of silence' verdict upheld
A judge on Thursday refused to toss a jury verdict that suggested Chicago police adhere to a code of silence in protecting rogue officers, citing its ...

Dozens of Mich. schools close amid threats, rumors
Dozens of Michigan schools canceled classes for thousands of students to cool off rumored threats of violence and problems related to doomsday ...
Judge: La. woman can flip finger in holiday lights
A Louisiana woman ran afoul of police when she gave her neighbors an unusual holiday greeting, hanging Christmas lights in the shape of a middle ...

Once-conjoined NY twins make debut at Pa. hospital
More than nine months after they were born joined at the lower chest and abdomen, twin girls made their public debut Thursday at the hospital where ...

AP poll: Mass shootings voted top 2012 news story
The horrific massacre of 26 children and staff at a Connecticut elementary school, along with other mass shootings, was the top news story of 2012, ...
Teen gets 11 years prison in Fla. burning attack
A teenager convicted of orchestrating an attack on a middle school classmate who was soaked in alcohol and lit ablaze was sentenced to 11 years in ...
Twitter offers users scrapbook of past tweets
Twitter is offering its more than 200 million users a chance to keep a digital scrapbook of all their tweets. The tool, announced this week, is ...

Mass. chemist pleads not guilty in drug lab case
A former Massachusetts drug lab chemist at the center of a scandal that threatens to unravel thousands of criminal cases pleaded not guilty Thursday ...

US Mint testing new metals to make coins cheaper
When it comes to making coins, the Mint isn't getting its two cents worth. In some cases, it doesn't even get half of that. A penny costs more than ...

15 years for German doctor in stepdaughter's death
A French court on Thursday upheld the conviction of a retired German doctor in the death of his teenage stepdaughter, capping a decades-long ...
Official: Bush may leave hospital before Christmas
Ex-President George H.W. Bush's monthlong stay in a Houston hospital for treatment of a bronchitis-related cough appears to be nearing an end.
Super Mario man arrested in Times Square groping
Police say a man dressed as a Super Mario Brother has been arrested for groping a woman in New York City's Times Square. An NYPD spokesman says ...

Chicago jail escape resembles 1985 breakout
This week's daring escape from a downtown Chicago jail bore striking similarities to the last time anyone broke out of the high-rise facility, nearly ...

Funerals become a sad routine in Newtown
A season that should be a time of joy has been marked by heart-wrenching loss in Newtown, as more victims from the massacre of 20 children and six ...

Putin defends ban on US adoptions of Russian kids
President Vladimir Putin says a draft bill banning U.S. adoptions of Russian children is a legitimate response to a new U.S. law that calls for ...
$66M Kinkade estate dispute secretly settled
Thomas Kinkade's widow and girlfriend have reached a settlement after a dispute over the late artist's $66 million estate, their attorneys said ...