Archive By Section - Signal AP
5 big US banks have cut mortgage balances by $6.3B
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Five of the biggest U.S. banks have cut struggling homeowners' mortgage balances by $6.3 billion, part of a total $26.1 billion in home loan relief provided under a landmark settlement over foreclosure abuses. More than 309,000 borrowers received some form of mortgage relief between March 1 and Sept. 30, according to a report issued Monday by Joseph Smith, monitor of the settlement. That translates to roughly $84,385 per homeowner, ...
Israel bombing kills militant in Gaza Strip
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israeli aircraft struck crowded areas in the Gaza Strip and killed a senior militant with a missile strike on a media center Monday, driving up the Palestinian death toll to 100, as Israel broadened its targets in the 6-day-old offensive meant to quell Hamas rocket fire on Israel.
'Lincoln' director Spielberg speaks in Gettysburg
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) - Two-time Academy Award winning director Steven Spielberg expressed a sense of humility Monday as he delivered the keynote address during ceremonies to mark the 149th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address."
Loose ends to drive second term education agenda
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's education agenda for next four years may look less like real reform and more like tying up loose ends, experts say, with practical budget issues and an age-old power struggle between Congress and the administration getting in the way.
Boy, 2, survives LA freeway crash that mangled car
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A 2-year-old boy has survived a car crash on a Los Angeles freeway that left a woman dead and the vehicle badly mangled.
'Twilight' finale dawns with $141.3M weekend
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The sun has set on the "Twilight" franchise with one last blockbuster opening for the supernatural romance.
Report: Soledad prison nurses being investigated
MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) - State and federal officials are conducting parallel investigations into allegations of wrongdoing by some nurses at a Soledad prison, The Monterey County Herald (http://bit.ly/ZTY9N0 ) reports.
Major land acquisition in Sierra announced
TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) - About 3,000 acres of scenic backcountry in the Sierra Nevada north of Truckee will be permanently protected under a deal announced by two conservation groups.
Charlie Chaplin's bowler hat sold at LA auction
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The bowler hat and cane that accented Charlie Chaplin's costume in "Little Tramp" has sold for $62,500 at an auction in Los Angeles.
Average US credit card debt per borrower up in 3Q
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Americans cranked up their use of credit cards in the third quarter, racking up more debt than a year ago, while also being less diligent about making payments on time, an analysis of consumer-credit data shows.
Seacrest, Wonder, Usher, others praise Dick Clark
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ryan Seacrest and Stevie Wonder paid homage to Dick Clark on stage, while Usher and will.i.am shared their praise for the TV icon and music lover off camera.
Twinkies likely to survive sale of Hostess
DETROIT (AP) - Twinkie lovers, relax. The tasty cream-filled golden spongecakes are likely to survive, even though their maker will be sold in bankruptcy court. Hostess Brands Inc., baker of Wonder Bread as well as Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Ho's, will be in a New York bankruptcy courtroom Monday to start the process of selling itself. The company, weighed down by debt, management turmoil, rising labor costs and the changing tastes of America, ...
Rebels in Congo reach door of Goma
GOMA, Congo (AP) - A rebel group believed to be backed by Rwanda advanced to within two miles (three kilometers) of Goma, a crucial provincial capital in eastern Congo, marking the first time that rebels have come this close since 2008.
New frontier for scaling up online classes: credit
In 15 years of teaching, University of Pennsylvania classicist Peter Struck has guided perhaps a few hundred students annually in his classes on Greek and Roman mythology through the works of Homer, Sophocles, Aeschylus and others - "the oldest strands of our cultural DNA."
Public nudity ban eyed in fed-up San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco may be getting ready to shed its image as a city where anything goes, including clothing.
Articles by Section - Signal AP
New report questions FAA's airline safety promise
WASHINGTON (AP) - Since a deadly airline crash in 2009, the government hasn't kept its promise to ensure that major airlines are holding their smaller partners to the same safety standards, a federal watchdog says.
Hagel delay gives opposition time to hone attack
WASHINGTON (AP) - The weeklong Senate recess gives outside interest groups opposed to Chuck Hagel's nomination to become defense secretary more time to sharpen their attack against President Barack Obama's choice. And they're not wasting any of it, promising to redouble their efforts to scour Hagel's record and to pressure senators to vote against him.
Bright streak of light reported over Calif.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A science institute in Northern California says it has received numerous reports of a bright streak of light over the San Francisco Bay area.
Could the next pope come from the United States?
NEW YORK (AP) - Conventional wisdom holds that no one from the United States could be elected pope, that the superpower has more than enough worldly influence without an American in the seat of St. Peter.
Calif. man arrested in Fla. in ex-wife's death
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. (AP) - A California man has been arrested in southwest Florida on an outstanding murder warrant in the death of his ex-wife.
Budget cut warnings may prove harsher than reality
WASHINGTON (AP) - Get ready for two weeks of intensifying warnings about how crucial, popular government services are about to wither. Many of the threats could come true.
Meteor explodes over Russia, 1,100 injured
MOSCOW (AP) - With a blinding flash and a booming shock wave, a meteor blazed across the western Siberian sky Friday and exploded with the force of 20 atomic bombs, injuring more than 1,000 people as it blasted out windows and spread panic in a city of 1 million.
Obama in Chicago exhorts 'ladders of opportunity'
CHICAGO (AP) - Pressing his case in the town that launched his political career, President Barack Obama called Friday for the government to take an active, wide-ranging role in ensuring every American has a "ladder of opportunity" into the middle class.
Weeping Pistorius faces premeditated murder charge
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - In a courtroom, not an Olympic stadium, there was no click-click-click of Oscar Pistorius' prosthetic limbs. His only sound Friday was loud, uncontrollable sobs as prosecutors charged him with premeditated murder in the shooting death of his model girlfriend.
