Archive By Section - Signal AP
Skydiver begins daring bid to break sound barrier
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) - Lifted by a massive balloon, extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner ascended high above Earth on Sunday in his bid to complete a death-defying 23-mile free fall that could make him the first skydiver to break the sound barrier.
Longtime GOP Senate moderate Arlen Specter dies
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, the outspoken Pennsylvania centrist whose switch from Republican to Democrat ended a 30-year career in which he played a pivotal role in several Supreme Court nominations, died Sunday. He was 82.
Skydiver begins daring stunt
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) - Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner started his daring ascent to 23 miles above Earth on Sunday, hoping to make a death-defying free fall that could make him the first skydiver to break the sound barrier.
22 saved from sinking boat in San Francisco Bay
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Nearly two dozen people who were enjoying a bachelor party on what's billed as San Francisco Bay's only "floating wine tasting room" are OK after their boat hit a shoal near Alcatraz Island and began sinking Friday night, officials said.
Los Angeles mayor wants ID card for immigrants
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Immigrants would get access to banking services in Los Angeles under a proposal by the mayor that would create an official city photo identification card that could also be used as a prepaid ATM card for their private bank account.
Geithner: Work remains despite US fiscal progress
TOKYO (AP) - Despite making progress on getting its fiscal house in order, the United States still has much work to do, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told fellow financial leaders Saturday. The comment came just hours after the U.S. government announced that the budget deficit had topped $1 trillion for a fourth straight year despite a modest improvement thanks to stronger economic growth.
Salmonella fear spurs firm to recall dog treats
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A pet food company is voluntarily recalling dog treats that could be contaminated with salmonella.
Divers' attack on clams may slow Lake Tahoe boats
RENO, Nev. (AP) - Scientists waging a war on an Asian clam infestation at Lake Tahoe are asking for patience on the part of boaters.
Shuttle inches toward retirement
LOS ANGELES (AP) - At every turn of Endeavour's stop-and-go commute through urban streets, a constellation of spectators trailed along as the space shuttle ploddingly nosed past stores, schools, churches and front yards.
Libel trial to focus on Britney Spears' meltdown
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Britney Spears' darkest days are about to be revisited in a Los Angeles courtroom, but not by the resurgent pop singer.
22 passengers rescued from sinking wine tasting boat
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Nearly two dozen people who were enjoying a bachelor party on what's billed as San Francisco Bay's only "floating wine tasting room" are OK after their boat hit a shoal near Alcatraz Island and began sinking Friday night, officials said.
French president commits to exchange in Congo
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - French President Francois Hollande said his country was committed to facilitating freedom of movement, exchange and trade within the French-speaking world during a Saturday visit to Congo for the Francophonie Summit.
Palestinians seek work in Israel as crisis deepens
BEIT EL, West Bank (AP) - For Palestinians, the Israeli military coordination office on the outskirts of Jerusalem is a symbol of Israel's decades-long control over their lives. Now it has also become an unlikely source of hope for employment.
Car bomb kills 17 people in northwestern Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - A car bomb tore through a crowded bazaar outside an office for anti-Taliban tribal elders Saturday in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 17 people, officials said.
Maine town's agony prolonged in prostitution case
KENNEBUNK, Maine (AP) - Residents of this seaside community will have to wait at least the weekend to learn which of their friends and neighbors stand accused of giving business to a fitness instructor charged with running a prostitution operation out of her Zumba studio.
Articles by Section - Signal AP
State jobless rate at 4 1/2-year low
SACRAMENTO (AP) - California's unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level in 4 1/2 years as the state experienced one of the sharpest drops in joblessness nationwide, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.
Deal to sell Sacramento Kings signed
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson announced to screaming throngs of Kings fans Friday that the deal to sell the NBA franchise to a group led by software tycoon Vivek Ranadive has been signed.
Congress gets mixed advice on regulating drones
WASHINGTON (AP) - The growing use of unmanned surveillance "eyes in the sky" aircraft raises a thicket of privacy concerns, but Congress is getting mixed advice on what, if anything, to do about it.
'American Idol' finale draws record low ratings
NEW YORK (AP) - Ratings for the "American Idol" finale plunged to a record low for the 12-year-old show.
Alaska man runs onto frozen lake to avoid jail
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Anchorage police say a young man who didn't want to return to jail ran out onto the uncertain ice of an Alaska lake to escape officers armed with an arrest warrant.
Arrests in New Orleans parade shootings cheered
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Days after a burst of gunfire brought a chaotic and bloody end to a Mother's Day neighborhood parade in New Orleans, news of six arrests gave an organizer of the traditional event reason to celebrate again.
Obama picks budget official to run troubled IRS
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama picked a senior White House budget official to become the acting head of the Internal Revenue Service on Thursday, the same day another top official announced plans to leave the agency amid the controversy over agents targeting tea party groups.
Famed 'hatchet hitchhiker' arrested in NJ homicide
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) - A homeless, hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who became an Internet hero earlier this year was arrested Thursday for allegedly beating a New Jersey lawyer to death inside his home.
Afghans tell of US soldier's killing rampage
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) - Sitting on a dirty straw mat on the parched ground of southern Afghanistan, Masooma sank deeper inside a giant black shawl. Hidden from view, her words burst forth as she told her side of what happened to her family sometime before dawn on March 11, 2012.
Mom in NM chases down child abductor; man arrested
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A mother whose 4-year-old was being abducted chased the suspect down and crashed her vehicle into his car, triggering a manhunt and the arrest of the suspect, Albuquerque police said Thursday.
Report: Calif. short on key state water workers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California is losing key employees at the Department of Water Resources because it can't pay afford to pay them enough.
Justice Dept. faulted over terrorist identities
WASHINGTON (AP) - The government allowed "a small but significant number" of terrorists into America's witness protection program and then failed to provide the names of some of them for a watch list that's used to keep dangerous people off airline flights, the Justice Department's inspector general says.
Dying man's eye blinks lead to Ohio murder verdict
CINCINNATI (AP) - An Ohio man was found guilty Thursday of fatally shooting a man who authorities say identified his assailant by blinking his eyes while paralyzed and hooked up to a ventilator.
California fuels Powerball $550 million jackpot
SAN DIEGO (AP) - The numbers sum up the frenzy that has taken over the Golden State since it became the newest in the nation to join the madness over Powerball, which saw its jackpot soar Thursday to $550 million.
Texas tornado devastation includes Habitat homes
GRANBURY, Texas (AP) - Habitat for Humanity spent years in a North Texas suburb, helping build many of the 110 homes in the low-income area. But its work was largely undone during an outbreak of 12 tornadoes Wednesday night that killed six people and injured dozens.
