Archive By Section - Signal AP
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.
UPDATE: Hurricane Sandy gains strength
NEW YORK (AP) - A fast-strengthening Hurricane Sandy churned north Monday, raking ghost-town cities along the Northeast corridor with rain and wind gusts. Subways and schools were closed across the region of 50 million people, the floor of the New York Stock Exchange was deserted, and thousands fled inland.
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Maker's Mark to restore alcohol content of whiskey
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - After backlash from customers, the producer of Maker's Mark bourbon is reversing a decision to cut the amount of alcohol in bottles of its famous whiskey.
Ill. woman killed same day sister sat behind Obama
CHICAGO (AP) - An 18-year-old Chicago woman was killed just hours after her sister sat on the stage at President Barack Obama's speech about gun violence at an area school.
White House calls draft immigration plan a backup
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans and Democrats alike on Sunday predicted President Barack Obama would fail if he pushed forward with his own effort to overhaul the nation's immigration system and urged the administration to hold off while lawmakers work on a bipartisan measure.
2 Texas firefighters stable after deadly blaze
BRYAN, Texas (AP) - Two Central Texas firefighters are in serious but stable condition as investigators try to determine what sparked a lodge hall fire that killed two colleagues.
Ross beats Evans in dunk contest
HOUSTON (AP) - Terrence Ross had to settle his nerves at the start of the All-Star dunk contest. By the end, he was calming down a ball boy he needed as a prop for his winning slam.
Stanley Marsh 3 settles teenagers' lawsuits
AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - Stanley Marsh 3, an eccentric millionaire artist best known for his "Cadillac Ranch" art display along an interstate in the Texas Panhandle, has settled lawsuits from 10 teenagers who allege he paid them for sex acts, attorneys announced Saturday.
Willis' new 'Die Hard' scores with $25M debut
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Bruce Willis remains a die-hard at the box office.
Baghdad area bombings kill dozens
BAGHDAD (AP) - Car bombs tore through shopping areas within minutes of each other in mainly Shiite neighborhoods of the Iraqi capital on Sunday, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 100.
2 firefighters dead, 2 hurt after Texas lodge fire
BRYAN, Texas (AP) - Two Texas fire lieutenants have died of burns after battling a lodge hall fire, a city official said Saturday.
Long-missing WWII medal to be awarded
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hyla Merin grew up without a father and for a long time never knew why.
No central agency oversees, inspects cruise ships
MIAMI (AP) - A byzantine maze of maritime rules and regulations, fragmented oversight and a patchwork quilt of nations that do business with cruise lines make it tough for consumers to assess the health and safety record of the ship they're about to board in what for many is the vacation of a lifetime.
Hunter voted out as head of NBA players' union
HOUSTON (AP) - Billy Hunter was ousted from his job as executive director of the union in a unanimous vote by NBA players who said Saturday they will "no longer be divided, misled, misinformed."
Cruise passengers return home, feds probe fire
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - Passengers of the Carnival Triumph tried to put the memories of their nightmarish cruise behind them Friday, boarding buses and planes for home after five harrowing days aboard a vessel adrift at sea without power or working toilets.
Kershaw to start 3rd straight opener for Dodgers
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Clayton Kershaw was selected Saturday as the Los Angeles Dodgers' opening day starter and will become the team's first pitcher to start three straight openers since Derek Lowe from 2005-07.
Dozens of pro-Dorner protesters rally at LAPD HQ
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Dozens of protesters rallied outside Los Angeles police headquarters in support of Christopher Dorner, the ex-LAPD officer and suspected killer of four who died after a shootout and fire this week at a mountain cabin.
