Archive By Section - Signal AP
NJ spruce lights up as Rockefeller Center tree
NEW YORK (AP) - An 80-foot Norway spruce that made it through Superstorm Sandy was transformed into a beacon of shimmering glory Wednesday when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others turned its lights on at Rockefeller Center.
Family learns of student's death on Facebook
ATLANTA (AP) - The parents of a south Georgia college student first learned from Facebook that their daughter had been found dead in a dormitory study room shortly before Thanksgiving. Now, they hope that Facebook and other social media sites can help solve the death of 17-year-old Jasmine Benjamin, which police are investigating as a homicide.
Senate gives green light to Pentagon green energy
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate on Wednesday gave the green light to the Pentagon's investment in green energy.
Kim Kardashian divorce inches toward trial
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kim Kardashian's divorce attorney told a judge Wednesday that the reality star wants to move on with her life but is "handcuffed" to her estranged husband because the case is not yet ready for trial.
3 men indicted in terror plot case
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - Three California men have been indicted on terrorism-related charges for allegedly plotting to kill Americans overseas.
New blow for Rice: Moderate senator voices concern
WASHINGTON (AP) - A moderate Republican senator, vital to any White House hopes of getting U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice confirmed as secretary of state, said Wednesday she couldn't back any nomination until more questions are answered about the deadly Sept. 11 attack in Libya and Rice's State Department role during the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing in Kenya.
Pot legalization no free ride to smoke on campus
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Young voters helped pass laws legalizing marijuana in Washington and Colorado, but many still won't be able to light up.
Animal control officer fatally shot in California
GALT, Calif. (AP) - An animal control officer was fatally shot Wednesday when he went to retrieve pets from a Sacramento County home where the resident had been evicted a day earlier, authorities said.
Ex-treasurer to Democrats receives 8-year sentence
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A former Democratic campaign treasurer was sentenced Wednesday to more than eight years in federal prison for defrauding high-profile clients such as U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in a case that a judge said tampered with the electoral process.
Calif man pleads not guilty in triple killing
DOWNEY, Calif. (AP) - A Southern California man has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges stemming from a shooting at a fire extinguisher business and a nearby home in Downey last month.
Federal judge upholds San Francisco gun laws
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A federal judge has rejected an effort by the National Rifle Association to block enforcement of local gun laws in San Francisco.
Salmon release is step in Calif river restoration
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - California's second-longest river once teemed with salmon that swam from San Francisco Bay to spawn near Fresno. But that was before the Friant Dam diverted the San Joaquin River to serve agriculture needs 62 years ago.
Prayer group killing confession made up
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Kansas City man who told police he killed the wife of his prayer group leader at her husband's request made up the story up and had nothing to do with the woman's suicide, his defense attorney said Wednesday.
California auditor blasts childhood safety contract
SAN DIEGO (AP) - California public health officials illegally paid a foundation about $2 million to oversee a childhood safety program intended to provide grants for safety-seat, poison-control and other education, a state audit concluded.
Strike idles busiest Port of Los Angeles pier
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Striking workers shut down the largest terminal at the Port of Los Angeles for a second day on Wednesday, ignoring an arbitrator's order to return to work and raising the possibility of a larger job action that could paralyze the nation's busiest port complex.
Articles by Section - Signal AP
US pediatricians back gay marriage
CHICAGO (AP) - The nation's most influential pediatrician's group says gays should be allowed to marry to help ensure the health and well-being of their children.
NBC reportedly replacing Leno with Fallon
LOS ANGELES (AP) - As Jay Leno lobs potshots at ratings-challenged NBC in his "Tonight" monologues, speculation is swirling the network is taking steps to replace the host with Jimmy Fallon next year and move the show from Burbank to New York.
Marines killed in training were young, lives ahead
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) - They're called "leathernecks" or "Devil Dogs," but some of the Marines killed in a desert training accident this week were just a year or so out of high school, their boyish faces not yet weathered by life's hardships
Ex-officials convicted in Calif. corruption case
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Five former city councilors in a small, blue-collar Los Angeles suburb that became a symbol of political greed were convicted Wednesday of stealing taxpayer money by creating a panel that helped boost their part-time pay to nearly $100,000 a year.
Vallejo standoff ends after suspect is found dead
VALLEJO, Calif. (AP) - Vallejo police say a standoff with an armed man ended after officers entered the home and the suspect was found dead.
Colo. Corrections Dept. chief shot, killed at home
MONUMENT, Colo. (AP) - The fatal shooting of Colorado's top prisons official when he answered the front door at his house highlights a troubling reality for the nation's judges, prosecutors and other legal officials: At a time when attacks on them are rising, it's difficult for them to remain secure, even when they are off duty.
Senate vote: OK $85 billion cuts, avert shutdown
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate approved legislation Wednesday to lock in $85 billion in widely decried spending cuts aimed at restraining soaring federal deficits - and to avoid a government shutdown just a week away. President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats rejected a call to reopen White House tours scrapped because of the tightened spending.
