Archive By Section - Signal AP
Crane collapses, dangles above NYC streets
NEW YORK (AP) - A construction crane atop a $1.5 billion luxury high-rise in midtown Manhattan collapsed in high winds Monday and dangled precariously, prompting plans for engineers and inspectors to climb 74 flights of stairs to examine it as a huge storm bore down on the city.
Japanese brands take top spots in reliability rankings
DETROIT (AP) - And the winner is ... Japan. Japanese brands took the top seven spots in Consumer Reports' annual reliability rankings, pushing aside their U.S. and European rivals. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Scion, Lexus and Toyota brands took the top three spots and the Toyota Prius C, a subcompact hybrid, got the best overall score. Mazda, Subaru, Honda and Acura were close behind. The rankings, released Monday, predict the reliability of 2013 model-year vehicles ...
Police arrest driver in death of friend in N. California
REDDING, Calif. (AP) - Police say they arrested the 28-year-old driver of a van in the death of his friend, a passenger who was shot by another person in Northern California.
Refineries scale back as storm moves in; oil falls
The biggest refineries in the Northeast shut down or throttled back on Monday in advance of Hurricane Sandy, and oil prices fell sharply as it appeared the massive storm will reduce demand.
New approach lowers arrest rate of California ex-cons
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The rate at which California prison parolees commit new crimes has dropped slightly for the second straight year, according to a report released Monday, an improvement that corrections officials partly attribute to recent rehabilitation efforts.
Sandy unlikely to damage US economy, analysts say
WASHINGTON (AP) - Airlines canceled thousands of flights and stranded travelers. Insurers braced for damages of up to $5 billion. Retailers expected shrunken sales.
Taylor Swift to co-host Grammy nominations TV show
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Taylor Swift will co-host the Grammy nominations television special.
Images of the East Coast superstorm
A massive Hurricane Sandy lashed the Eastern United States with relentless rains and severe wind gusts and was expected to become an epic superstorm when it finally makes landfall in New Jersey sometime early evening Monday and combines with two other weather systems.
Hurricane Sandy grounds thousands of flights
NEW YORK (AP) - Hurricane Sandy grounded thousands of flights in the U.S. northeast Monday and upended travel plans across the globe, stranding passengers from Hong Kong to Europe. The massive storm threatens to bring a near halt to air travel for at least two days in a key region for both domestic and international flights.
Prowler at Cruise's home turns out to be neighbor
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say a security guard at Tom Cruise's Beverly Hills, Calif., mansion used a stun gun on a trespasser who turned out to be an intoxicated neighbor who may have mistakenly entered the property.
FBI: Crime reported to police fell last year
WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of violent crimes reported to police decreased 3.8 percent last year to 1.2 million, the fifth straight year of declines, the FBI announced Monday.
Syria truce collapse shows limits of diplomacy
BEIRUT (AP) - Syria's air force fired missiles and dropped barrel bombs on rebel strongholds while opposition fighters attacked regime positions Sunday, flouting a U.N.-backed cease-fire that was supposed to quiet fighting over a long holiday weekend but never took hold.
Israel's Barak hopes to extend political career
JERUSALEM (AP) - He's been Israel's prime minister, military chief, the country's most decorated soldier and, for the past five years, its defense minister and moderate face to the West.
Thousands take to streets after Giants' victory
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Thousands of baseball fans took to the streets of San Francisco to celebrate the Giants' World Series victory, with revelers gathering on corners, in parks and at watering holes - and some turning rowdy.
Storm disrupts presidential campaign
WASHINGTON (AP) - A strengthening Hurricane Sandy disrupted the White House campaign Monday, with President Obama canceling two campaign days to monitor the storm and Republican Mitt Romney sketching out contingency plans in case disaster strikes.
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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.
