Archive By Section - Signal AP
Many in Calif. rely on contaminated water sources
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - A new report says more than half of California's population relies on a drinking water supply contaminated by arsenic, nitrates and other contaminants, though most communities blend or treat their water to make it safe.
Military tactics, arms, helped rescue Ala. hostage
Within hours after an armed, angry man shot a school bus driver and kidnapped a 5-year-old boy, workers feverishly unloaded boxes packed with percussive grenades, military C-4 explosives and an array of guns from a windowless DC-9 that had landed just miles from the suspect's isolated compound.
US to cut carrier fleet in Persian Gulf to 1
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon is cutting its aircraft carrier presence in the Persian Gulf region from two carriers to one, the Defense Department said Wednesday, in a move that represents one of the most significant effects of budget cuts on the U.S. military presence overseas. The decision comes as Washington struggles to find a way to avoid sharp automatic spending cuts set to strike the Pentagon and domestic programs next month.
Obama picks outdoor retail exec to lead Interior
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's choice for interior secretary is a lifelong outdoors enthusiast who likes to bike, ski and climb mountains.
Ariz. woman gives sexual details about slain lover
PHOENIX (AP) - A woman charged with killing her lover in the shower of his Arizona home described in graphic detail Wednesday how he made repeated sexual advances all while converting her into the Mormon faith during their heated initial courtship.
Acapulco rape case overshadows peak tourist season
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) - The tourism world turned its eyes on Mexico after six Spanish women were raped by masked gunmen during a vacation in the long-troubled Pacific coast resort of Acapulco.
Rubio to deliver State of Union GOP response
WASHINGTON (AP) - Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a leading proponent of overhauling the immigration system who has gained attention in GOP circles, will deliver the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday.
6 dead, villages destroyed in Solomons tsunami
SYDNEY (AP) - Six bodies, including a child's, have been found in the sodden wreckage left by a tsunami that smashed into villages in the Solomon Islands, flattening dozens of homes in the South Pacific island chain.
Goodbye Saturday mail? Postal Service plans cuts
WASHINGTON (AP) - Saturday mail may soon go the way of the Pony Express and penny postcards. The Postal Service said Wednesday that it plans to cut back to five-day-a-week deliveries for everything except packages to stem its financial losses in a world radically re-ordered by the Internet.
4 dead in fiery highway crash in Ga.
MONTROSE, Ga. (AP) - More than two dozen cars, pickup trucks and tractor-trailers collided Wednesday morning in a fiery pileup on a foggy Georgia interstate, killing at least four people and sending nine others to a hospital, officials said.
UK's space age Antarctic base can slide across ice
LONDON (AP) - British researchers have unveiled a futuristic Antarctic research base that can move, sliding across the frozen surface to beat the shifting ice and pounding snow that doomed its predecessors.
Walters hopes to return to 'The View' in 3 weeks
NEW YORK (AP) - Barbara Walters isn't "scratching too much" from chickenpox, but she says she won't be back at "The View" for three more weeks.
Conn. couple named 'longest married' in US
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) - John and Ann Betar weren't supposed to get married. Her father had arranged for her to wed another man, but she and John fled Bridgeport and eloped in New York.
Monopoly fans vote to add cat, toss iron tokens
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) - The Scottie dog has a new nemesis in Monopoly after fans voted in an online contest to add a cat token to the property trading game, replacing the iron, toy maker Hasbro Inc. announced Wednesday.
Woman in Timbuktu punished for forbidden love
TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) - The love story in this fabled desert outpost began over the phone, when he dialed the wrong number. It nearly ended with the couple's death at the hands of Islamic extremists who considered their romance "haram" - forbidden.
Articles by Section - Signal AP
Jurors get case in Jodi Arias murder trial
PHOENIX (AP) - Jurors began deliberations in Jodi Arias' murder trial on Friday after four months of testimony and closing arguments from both sides that presented far different scenarios of the killing and motivation, leaving the panel to come to grips with the dearth of evidence and Arias' ever-changing version of events.
PHOTOS: Calif. wildfire burns path to Pacific
A Southern California wildfire burning through coastal wilderness nearly doubled in size Friday, growing to more than 28 square miles.
Sheen supports sons' removal from ex-wife's care
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Charlie Sheen's spokesman says the actor supports a decision to remove his twin sons from the care of his ex-wife and have them live temporarily with another ex-wife, actress Denise Richards.
Experimental Air Force aircraft goes hypersonic
LOS ANGELES (AP) - An experimental, unmanned aircraft developed for the U.S. Air Force went hypersonic during a test off the Southern California coast, traveling at more than 3,000 mph, the Air Force said Friday.
Spider bite pivotal in Slayer guitarist death
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman thought he was on the mend after a spider bite followed by an infection. He'd been writing songs with the band in anticipation of recording a new album later this year.
Lindsay Lohan enters rehab at Betty Ford Center
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Lindsay Lohan has checked into a rehab and will not face a probation violation for leaving another treatment facility after a few minutes, a prosecutor said Friday.
Kobe Bryant battles mom, NJ business over auction
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Kobe Bryant is in a court battle to try to keep his mother from auctioning off mementoes from his high school days in Pennsylvania and his early years with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Solar plane leaves Calif. on cross-country trip
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) - A solar-powered airplane left Northern California on Friday for the first leg of a planned cross-country trip that its co-pilot described as a "milestone" in aviation history.
Bangladesh official: Disaster not 'really serious'
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - Bangladesh's finance minister downplayed the impact of last week's factory-building collapse on his country's garment industry, saying Friday he didn't think it was "really serious" hours after the 500th body was pulled from the debris.
Witherspoon pleads no contest
ATLANTA (AP) - Reese Witherspoon pleaded no contest and paid a $100 fine after berating a state trooper in Atlanta while her husband was given a sobriety test, an embarrassing exchange caught on a dashboard camera after the usually squeaky-clean Hollywood star had what she called "one too many" glasses of wine.
US jobless rate at four-year low
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. economy showed last month why it remains the envy of industrialized nations: In the face of tax increases and federal spending cuts, employers added a solid 165,000 jobs in April - and far more in February and March than anyone thought.
Obama OK with morning-after pill sales at age 15
MEXICO CITY (AP) - President Barack Obama said Thursday he was comfortable with his administration's decision to allow over-the-counter purchases of a morning-after pill for anyone 15 and older.
Decades-old question: Is antibacterial soap safe?
WASHINGTON (AP) - It's a chemical that's been in U.S. households for more than 40 years, from the body wash in your bathroom shower to the knives on your kitchen counter to the bedding in your baby's basinet.
Hagel: US rethinking possibly arming Syrian rebels
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is rethinking its opposition to arming the rebels who have been locked in a civil war with the Syrian regime for more than two years, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday, becoming the first top U.S. official to publicly acknowledge the reassessment.
Obama, Mexican president talk economy, security
MEXICO CITY (AP) - President Barack Obama sought on Thursday to tamp down a potential rift with Mexico over a dramatic shift in the cross-border fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, acceding that Mexicans had the right to determine how best to tackle the violence that has plagued their country.
