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Robbery motive in deaths of 5 in rural Arkansas - 11/20/2009
Thieves shot to death five Arkansas family members and burned their bodies for the meager bounty of a set of wheel rims and some flat-screen televisions, police said court documents Friday. Samuel Conway and Jeremy Pickney, both 23, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of capital murder, aggravated residential burglary and arson, Garl

Resort island reels after deadly attack by gunman - 11/20/2009
After going on a shooting rampage that left a trail of victims on the Pacific resort island of Saipan, the gunman drove to a scenic, rocky cliff where untold numbers of Japanese men, women and children plunged to their deaths to avoid capture during World War II, according to police and witness accounts. He parked his van and walked t

Police: NC girl raped, killed on day she was taken - 11/20/2009
A 5-year-old North Carolina girl was raped and killed the same day she was taken from her home, according to an arrest warrant released Friday. Shaniya Davis was sexually assaulted and asphyxiated Nov. 10, the day her mother reported her missing from the trailer park where she was staying, according to the warrant. Authorities embarked on a near

Atty seeks psych care for Mo. teen murder suspect - 11/20/2009
A teenager accused of killing a 9-year-old neighbor should be sent to a psychiatric hospital because she shows signs of severe depression and anxiety, her attorney said. A judge had not approved the move Friday, though a draft order calling for a 96-hour stay at the Fulton State Hospital had been submitted by the public defender Thurs

Colo. billboard links Obama with jihadists - 11/20/2009
A billboard showing President Barack Obama wearing a turban has sparked a lot of attention at the suburban Denver used car dealership that put it up. The sign, completed Friday by artist David Lee, shows a grinning, cartoonish Obama and bears the words "PRESIDENT or JIHAD?" Underneath the president's image is a bi

AP News in Brief - 11/20/2009
Three Democratic moderates to decide fate of health bill _ for now _ in crucial Saturday vote WASHINGTON (AP) _ Suitably opaque, Section 2006 takes up only a few dozen lines in a sweeping health care bill that runs to 2,074 pages and mentions neither Sen. Mary Landrieu nor her state of Louisiana. But the section's purpose i

Indian boy mirrors plight of millions of kids - 11/20/2009
Arun Kumar was born to disabled parents, beaten by his grandparents, ran away from home, got a job in a garment factory and had all his savings stolen by the police. He was only 11. Today, at 13, he shares a cramped, dingy shelter with 63 other runaways and former street kids in New Delhi. He is one of the lucky

Former Marine charged in 'Cathouse' star's death - 11/20/2009
A former Marine was charged Friday with six counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of four people whose bodies were found in a burning home, including a prostitute featured on the HBO reality series "Cathouse." David Allen Tyner, 28, of Locust Grove, is accused of shooting, stabbing and then burning the bodies

Senator: USPS to resume North Pole Santa letters - 11/20/2009
An Alaska senator says the U.S. Postal Service is resuming a program allowing volunteers to respond to letters sent to Santa Claus in care of the North Pole, Alaska, post office. Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday that Deputy Postmaster General Pat Donahoe told her in a phone call the agency has reconsidered its decision

Fired therapist: Stressed Marines get shoddy care - 11/20/2009
Marines treated at Camp Lejeune for post-traumatic stress had to undergo therapy for months in temporary trailers where they could hear bomb blasts, machine-gun fire and war cries through the thin walls, according to servicemen and their former psychiatrist. The eight trailers were used for nearly two years, until a permanent clinic w

2 Pa. judges given partial immunity in civil suit - 11/20/2009
Two former county judges accused of taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send juveniles to private detention facilities are partially immune from civil lawsuits, a federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled Friday. The decision by U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo could make it harder for the people suing former Luzerne County judg

Murder trial's move to LA setback for transit cop - 11/20/2009
A judge's decision to move Johannes Mehserle's murder trial to Los Angeles County is a setback for the former transit police officer charged with gunning down an unarmed man on New Year's Day. Jurors throughout the state are typically sympathetic to police officers, and Mehserle could have expected a leg up before the start of trial i

Wyoming challenges Yellowstone snowmobile rules - 11/20/2009
The state of Wyoming has filed a new federal lawsuit seeking to block the National Park Service from restricting snowmobile numbers in Yellowstone National Park. The Park Service on Friday issued a temporary rule that would allow up to 318 snowmobiles and 78 snowcoaches per day into the park starting next month and continuing through

Prosecutor: Alleged Maui spy is difficult but sane - 11/20/2009
The competency hearing of a Maui man accused of spying for China has ended with the prosecutor claiming the defendant is difficult to work with and makes wild exaggerations but is legally able to stand trial. But at federal court on Friday, lawyers for Noshir Gowadia contended their client has a mental defect that renders him unable t

Teen pleads guilty in violent Border Patrol murder - 11/20/2009
A 17-year-old pleaded guilty Friday to murdering a Border Patrol agent who was shot eight times in head, neck and torso in the mountains east of San Diego. Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez admitted entering the United States illegally to rob a Border Patrol agent, the U.S. attorney's office said. Alvarez said he lured Agent Robert Rosa

Fate of black teacher in Mo. case rests with jury - 11/20/2009
A jury is deliberating the fate of a black school teacher charged with assaulting white police officers in Missouri Heather Ellis, a teacher in Louisiana, is also charged with resisting arrest and disturbing the peace at a Walmart store in the southeast Missouri town of Kennett. Ellis maintains that the white police officers attacked

UN committee targets Iran's rights violations - 11/20/2009
A key U.N. committee approved a resolution Friday urging Iran to halt the persecution of political opponents following the country's disputed presidential election and release those still detained. Citing arbitrary arrests, detentions and the disappearance of Iranians exercising their right to freedom of assembly and expression follow

Sears Tower plot leader gets 13-year prison term - 11/20/2009
The ringleader of a group described by prosecutors as plotting terror attacks on Chicago's Sears Tower and FBI offices in hopes of sparking an anti-government insurrection was sentenced Friday to 13 1/2 years in prison by a federal judge. Narseal Batiste, 35, dabbed at his eyes with a tissue when U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard wonder

Pa. university students upset about fitness class - 11/20/2009
A Pennsylvania university's requirement that overweight undergraduates take a fitness course to receive their degrees has raised the hackles of students and the eyebrows of health and legal experts. Officials at historically black Lincoln University said Friday that the school is simply concerned about high rates of obesity and diabet

Planes ready to leave Brunswick, Maine Navy base - 11/20/2009
The rumble of Navy patrol aircraft flying overhead will soon be a thing of the past as the remaining P-3 Orions depart from Brunswick Naval Air Station. While much of the nation prepares for Thanksgiving, air crews from VP-26 are prepping to ship out for a six-month deployment to El Salvador, Italy and the Horn of Africa. After that,