Archive By Section - Signal AP
Firemen's killer left chilling note, deaths at 3
WEBSTER, N.Y. (AP) - An ex-con killed two firefighters with the same caliber and make military-style rifle used in the Connecticut school massacre after typing a note pledging to burn down his neighborhood and "do what I like doing best, killing people," police said Tuesday as another body, believed to be the gunman's missing sister, was found.
Some urge Boehner: let Dems pass fiscal cliff bill
WASHINGTON (AP) - In case the public weren't frustrated enough over Congress' failure to resolve the "fiscal cliff," consider this: lawmakers probably could enact a compromise quickly and easily if Republican leaders let Democrats provide most of the votes.
Newtown, Conn., officials request halt to gifts
NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) - Officials in Newtown, Conn., are asking people to stop sending gifts to the grief-stricken community following the deadly school shooting, saying they're deeply grateful but can't handle the donation deluge.
Egypt constitution passes, economic crunch looms
CAIRO (AP) - The official approval of Egypt's disputed, Islamist-backed constitution Tuesday held out little hope of stabilizing the country after two years of turmoil and Islamist President Mohammed Morsi may now face a more immediate crisis with the economy falling deeper into distress.
Christmas storms all over US blamed for 2 deaths
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - A Christmas Day twister outbreak left damage across the Deep South while holiday travelers in the nation's much colder midsection battled sometimes treacherous driving conditions from freezing rain and blizzard conditions.
Hero dog missing snout seems to have beaten cancer
DAVIS, Calif. (AP) - A veterinarian at the University of California, Davis, has some good news about a dog from the Philippines who became an international hero after sacrificing her snout to save two young girls.
Israel to build 942 more homes in east Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has advanced the process of building 942 more settler homes in east Jerusalem under a new fast-track plan to tighten its grip on the territory, which the Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state.
US holiday retail sales growth weakest since 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. holiday retail sales this year grew at the weakest pace since 2008, when the nation was in a deep recession. In 2012, the shopping season was disrupted by bad weather and consumers' rising uncertainty about the economy.
Nasty storms blamed for 1 death, make travel tough
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Christmas Day twister outbreak left behind damage from Louisiana to Alabama while holiday travelers in the nation's much colder midsection battled sometimes treacherous driving conditions from freezing rain and blizzard conditions.
Northern California having wet Christmas
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Northern California received more rain and snow on Christmas Day, as the third storm system in a handful of days moved through the region.
Health care tax hikes for 2013 may be just a start
WASHINGTON (AP) - New taxes are coming Jan. 1 to help finance President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Most people may not notice. But they will pay attention if Congress decides to start taxing employer-sponsored health insurance, one option in play if lawmakers can ever agree on a budget deal to reduce federal deficits.
Calif. ban draws interest in using hounds to hunt
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gary Ramey and his adult daughter traveled 2,500 miles to hunt California bears with hounds last month, eager to take part in what he calls a time-honored tradition.
Newtown celebrates Christmas and remembers victims
NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) - Newtown celebrated Christmas amid piles of snow-covered teddy bears, long lines of stockings and heaps of flowers as volunteers manned a 24-hour candlelight vigil in memory of the 20 children and six educators gunned down at an elementary school just 11 days before the holiday.
Affleck not running for Kerry's Senate seat
BOSTON (AP) - Ben Affleck is taking his name off the list of possible candidates for U.S. Sen. John Kerry's seat, which would be open if the Democratic senator from Massachusetts is confirmed as secretary of state.
Netflix streaming service has been fixed
Those hoping to spend the holiday watching streaming video from Netflix can now get back in front of their TVs, tablets and PCs after a Christmas Eve outage.
Articles by Section - Signal AP
Cash can bribe dieters to lose weight, study finds
Willpower apparently can be bought. The chance to win or lose $20 a month enticed dieters in a yearlong study to drop an average of 9 pounds - four times more weight than others who were not offered dough to pass up the doughnuts.
Facebook adds more personal touches to News Feed
MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) - Facebook is trying to breathe new life into its social network with a redesign of its News Feed.
U.S. vows to defend itself against North Korea threats
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. says it will take necessary steps to defend itself and its allies after North Korea threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the United States.
Efforts to avoid gov't shutdown move to Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) - Efforts to stave off a late March government shutdown shifted to the Senate after House Republicans swiftly passed legislation to keep federal agencies running, while also easing some effects of $85 billion in budget cuts.
Russian ballet star confesses he agreed to attack
MOSCOW (AP) - Pale and haggard after hours of questioning, a leading Bolshoi dancer told a Moscow court that he gave his blessing to an attack on the ballet's artistic director but never imagined that the assailant would go as far as to throw acid in his face.
Senator launches lengthy debate to block CIA pick
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Republican critic of the Obama administration's drone policy mounted a self-described filibuster Wednesday to block Senate confirmation of John Brennan to take over as director of the CIA.
10 Things to Know for Thursday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Thursday:
Storm strikes Mid-Atlantic; 250K lose power
WASHINGTON (AP) - A winter storm marched into the Mid-Atlantic region Wednesday, dumping nearly two feet of snow in some places and knocking out power to about 250,000 homes and businesses. It largely spared the nation's capital, which was expecting much worse and had all but shut down.
Man held without bail in NY couple's deadly crash
NEW YORK (AP) - A man suspected of fleeing the scene of a grisly New York crash that killed a pregnant woman and her husband was arrested at a Pennsylvania convenience store on Wednesday after a friend arranged his surrender, and he was ordered held without bail.
Judge grants restraining order on Dorner admirer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has issued a restraining order against an admirer of Christopher Dorner who blogged threats against the county's Child Support Services Department while the ex-cop was on his murderous rampage.
Cops: No charges after home's refusal to give CPR
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) - Police said Wednesday that no criminal charges will be filed after a care worker's attention-grabbing refusal to perform CPR on a resident of a Central California independent-living facility.
Senate Republicans block vote on Obama's CIA pick
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Republican critic of the Obama administration's drone policy succeeded Wednesday in blocking a vote on John Brennan's nomination to be CIA director over questions about the possible use of the unmanned weapons against American citizens.
Lion kills person at California animal park
DUNLAP, Calif. (AP) - A lion killed a worker on Wednesday at a private wild animal park in Central California, authorities said.
LA Mayor Villaraigosa says he'd like to be governor someday
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Wednesday that he will join a think tank after leaving office this summer - and he'd also like to be California's governor someday.
