Archive By Section - Signal AP
UPDATE: Wildfire threatens homes near Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) - A wildfire in the rugged hills overlooking Santa Barbara threatened about 100 homes Wednesday as it chewed through dense chaparral, authorities said.
Government: Violent crimes rose 18 percent in 2011
WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of violent crimes unexpectedly rose by 18 percent in the United States last year, the government said Wednesday, the first time that total has risen in nearly 20 years. Property crimes went up by 11 percent, their first increase in a decade.
Israel counted calorie needs in Gaza blockade
JERUSALEM (AP) - The Israeli military meticulously calculated the number of calories Gaza's residents would need to consume to avoid malnutrition during a sweeping blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory between 2007 and mid-2010, according to a document the Defense Ministry released under a court order and that was made public Wednesday.
Wine experts: worst grape harvest in half century
BRUSSELS (AP) - Winemaker Cherie Spriggs had watched the bad weather over southern England's vineyards all season long. It just wasn't good enough for Nyetimber, her award-winning sparkling wine.
Candidates fan out after combative debate
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) - Fresh off an intensely combative debate, President Barack Obama, Republican Mitt Romney and their running mates are taking their tuned-up fight to the precious few battleground states where the election is up for grabs with just 20 days to go.
Oracle Team USA boat capsizes in San Francisco Bay
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Crews worked into the night trying to secure an Oracle catamaran that capsized in San Francisco Bay Tuesday afternoon and drifted out to sea.
OC woman gets 17 years for ice pick stabbing of ex
FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) - Orange County prosecutors say a woman has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for stabbing her ex-boyfriend with an ice pick after hiding in the back seat of his car.
After Clinton, Obama takes Benghazi responsibility
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama assumed responsibility Tuesday for the deadly terror attack in Libya last month that killed four Americans just hours after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to shoulder the blame for any mistakes the administration made.
Gallaudet employee seeks reinstatement
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The chief diversity officer at the nation's leading university for the deaf and hard of hearing is fighting for her job after signing a petition to put same-sex marriage on the ballot next month.
Daughter offers no clues on Mexican drug lord
SAN DIEGO (AP) - The daughter of one of the world's most sought-after drug lords didn't share information that might lead to her father's capture after she was detained on an immigration violation, a U.S. official said Tuesday.
Texas AG intervenes in cheerleader banner dispute
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said Wednesday he will defend high school cheerleaders who want to use Bible verses on banners at football games.
Obama takes the offense, says Romney just for rich
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) - An aggressive President Barack Obama ripped into Mitt Romney's economic proposals in a town hall style debate Tuesday night, accusing his rival of favoring a "one-point plan" to help the rich at the expense of the middle class. The Republican protested the charge was way off the mark.
Hundreds expected at memorial for slain Colo. girl
DENVER (AP) - Hundreds of friends, family and community members will gather Tuesday to remember a 10-year-old Colorado girl who was abducted on her way to school and killed.
Police probe Texas agency in case where child died
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Police have launched a rare investigation of the Texas child protection agency after a 22-month-old girl died and her mother claimed her military husband's deployment overseas left her too stressed to care for their three children.
Obama comes out throwing punches
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) - An aggressive President Barack Obama ripped into Mitt Romney's economic blueprint in a town hall style debate Tuesday night, accusing his rival of favoring only a "one-point plan" to help the rich at the expense of the middle class. The Republican protested the charge was way off the mark.
Articles by Section - Signal AP
Commercial cyberspying and theft gives rich payoff
BEIJING (AP) - For state-backed cyberspies such as a Chinese military unit implicated by a U.S. security firm in a computer crime wave, hacking foreign companies can produce high-value secrets ranging from details on oil fields to advanced manufacturing technology.
Oscar nominated director held at LAX
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Immigration officials briefly detained the Palestinian director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "5 Broken Cameras" on his way into town for Sunday's Academy Awards.
OSHA finds VA at fault for Calif. researcher death
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Federal officials on Wednesday blamed unsafe working conditions and poor training for the death of a young Veterans Affairs medical center researcher in San Francisco who died after handling bacteria that causes meningitis.
Trial begins in case of fatal Ore. hunting mistake
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Lawyers for an Oregon hunter who killed a man he mistook for a bear say they concede their client shot the Marine reservist, but they maintain the death in a field near Silver Falls State Park was an accident.
Woman, 104, forced to lie about age on Facebook
GROSSE POINTE SHORES, Mich. (AP) - Marguerite Joseph can be forgiven for lying about her age on Facebook.
NY developer: Airline reneging on 9/11 promise
NEW YORK (AP) - A World Trade Center developer asked a judge Wednesday to disqualify American Airlines from using an "act of war" defense to dodge property liability resulting from the Sept. 11 attacks.
Jesse Jackson Jr. pleads guilty in campaign case
WASHINGTON (AP) - Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., holding back tears, entered a guilty plea Wednesday in federal court to criminal charges that he engaged in a scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. He faces 46 to 57 months in prison, and a fine of $10,000 to $100,000, under a plea deal with prosecutors.
Pentagon notifies Congress of likely furloughs
WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Congress on Wednesday that if automatic government spending cuts kick in on March 1 he may have to shorten the workweek for the "vast majority" of the Defense Department's 800,000 civilian workers.
Future science: Using 3-D worlds to visualize data
CHICAGO (AP) - Take a walk through a human brain? Fly over the surface of Mars? Computer scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago are pushing science fiction closer to reality with a wraparound virtual world where a researcher wearing 3-D glasses can do all that and more.
Renewed fervor for Google lifts stock above $800
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Google's stock price topped $800 for the first time Tuesday amid renewed confidence in the company's ability to reap higher profits from its dominance of Internet search and prominence in the growing mobile market.
US homebuilder confidence dips from a 6½ year high
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Confidence among U.S. homebuilders slipped this month from the 6½ year high it reached in January, with many builders reporting less traffic by prospective customers before the critical spring home-buying season.
UPDATE: Body found in rubble of KC explosion
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The mayor of Kansas City says search crews have found a body in the rubble of a Kansas City restaurant destroyed by an explosion.
In fact-based films, how much fiction is OK?
NEW YORK (AP) - The scene: Tehran's Mehrabad airport, January 1980. Six U.S. diplomats, disguised as a fake sci-fi film crew, are about to fly to freedom with their CIA escorts. But suddenly there's a moment of panic in what had been a smooth trip through the airport.
US ready to strike back against China cyberattacks
WASHINGTON (AP) - As public evidence mounts that the Chinese military is responsible for stealing massive amounts of U.S. government data and corporate trade secrets, the Obama administration is eyeing fines and other trade actions it may take against Beijing or any other country guilty of cyberespionage.
14 hurt in Kansas City gas blast, fire
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A gas explosion that sparked a massive, block-engulfing blaze in an upscale Kansas City shopping district injured 14 people, a city official said Tuesday evening, adding it is believed that an accident by a utility contractor may have caused the blast.
