OXFORD, N.C. (AP) - It's fast-growing and drought-tolerant, producing tons of biomass per acre. It thrives even in poor soil and is a self-propagating perennial, so it requires little investment once established.
HAVANA (AP) - Sydney Gregory has never met her father, an Olympic silver medalist in fencing who defected from the Cuban team at a tournament in Lisbon in 2002 when she was 15 days old. But he recently rang from Italy with good news: Papa's coming home to visit.
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Six people have been injured in a crash involving two Pasadena police helicopters.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - She never set out to become the maven of guilt-free, fun-food dieting, the go-to girl for people who want to have their cake - and cheeseburgers and chili fries - and eat them, too, without getting fat.
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - When Anthony Barr roared through the line and hit Matt Barkley squarely in the No. 7 on his back, the roar rising out of the Rose Bowl was loud enough for a whole city to hear.
MIDLAND, Texas (AP) - Federal investigators say the warning signals at a railroad crossing in West Texas were activated before a parade float crossed the tracks in an accident that killed military veterans.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Twinkies are being sold on the Internet like exquisite delicacies. Hours after Twinkie-maker Hostess announced its plans to close its doors forever, people flocked to stores to fill their shopping baskets with boxes of the cream-filled sponge cakes and their sibling snacks - Ding Dongs, Ho Hos and Zingers. Late Friday and Saturday, the opportunists took to eBay and Craigslist. They began marketing their hoard to whimsical collectors and junk-food lovers ...
NEW YORK (AP) - J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson seems unfazed that the department store chain's mounting losses and sales declines have led to growing criticism of his plan to change the way we shop. Perhaps that's because this isn't the first time during Johnson's 30-year career that he's attempted what seemed impossible.
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - The demand of dozens of citizens has been denied in the Ecuadorean city of Guayaquil: There will be no jackass running for the legislature.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Three low-rated new TV series are getting the ax. ABC is saying goodbye to freshman dramas "Last Resort" and "666 Park Avenue" after 13 episodes each. "Last Resort" stars Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman as officers of a U.S. nuclear sub targeted by the government. It airs at 8 p.m. EST Thursday. The other canceled ABC drama, "666 Park Avenue," is a supernatural tale set starring Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams. ...
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional leaders from both parties voiced fresh optimism Friday after meeting with newly re-elected President Barack Obama about avoiding year-end "fiscal cliff" tax increases and spending cuts that would hammer the middle class and risk plunging the economy into recession.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - A revolutionary Israeli rocket-defense system knocked down an incoming rocket fired by Gaza militants over the skies of this bustling metropolis on Saturday, eliciting cheers from relieved residents huddled in fear.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Four people were taken into custody during an intense overnight search following a shooting that wounded a sheriff's deputy in south Los Angeles.
DECLO, Idaho (AP) - A fourth-grade teacher in southern Idaho is being criticized after having her students use permanent markers to draw on the faces of classmates who failed to meet reading goals.
DENVER (AP) - A mediator handling the distribution of about $5.3 million in donations to victims of the Colorado theater shootings said Friday that disbursement amounts have been finalized.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Authorities are investigating whether a faulty steering wheel caused a California raceway crash that killed two people, including the young cousin of the teenage driver, officials said Monday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A former California Department of Corrections official has been named assistant sheriff in charge of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Custody Division.
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis is mixing his Argentine past with his Roman present to create his new papal coat of arms, while harking back to a pope associated with the Second Vatican Council for the simple ring that he will receive during Tuesday's installation Mass.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Lindsay Lohan has accepted a plea deal in a misdemeanor car crash case that includes 90 days in a rehabilitation facility.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States is flying nuclear-capable B-52 bombers on training missions over South Korea to highlight Washington's commitment to defend an ally amid rising tensions with North Korea, Pentagon officials said Monday.
NEW YORK (AP) - The Tony Awards are going back to the place where the Rockettes high-kick it.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - A former University of Oklahoma starting quarterback was one of two people killed when a small aircraft smashed into a house in northern Indiana, officials said Monday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Japanese architect Toyo Ito, whose buildings have been praised for their fluid beauty and balance between the physical and virtual world, has won the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the prize's jury announced Sunday.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australia plans to restore limited military cooperation with Myanmar and increase business ties with the Southeast Asian nation.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Authorities investigating the apparent suicide of a college student discovered weapons and explosive devices in a dorm on the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando early Monday, and hundreds of students were evacuated, though the school said there was no immediate threat.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - After 27 years, the murder trial of a man who posed as a member of the fabled Rockefeller family is getting under way with opening statements to the jury.
The Pac-12 Conference has fined Arizona coach Sean Miller $25,000 for his actions following the 18th-ranked Wildcats' loss to UCLA in the semifinals of the conference tournament.