Mental health cases tax police, emergency workers

Police and emergency responders around the nation have long struggled to deal with people who have mental illness. Now some say the situation is getting worse.

Nov 21, 2009 | 10:30 am

Report finds wide disparities in gifted education

By DORIE TURNER

When Liz Fitzgerald realized her son and daughter were forced to read books in math class while the other children caught up, she had them moved into gifted classes at their suburban Atlanta elementary school.

Nov 21, 2009 | 10:00 am

AP reporter caught up in Stalin family's agony

By LARRY HEINZERLING

Newly arrived in Moscow on his first foreign assignment, Associated Press correspondent George Krimsky sensed he had a sensational Cold War scoop on his hands and he pounced.

Nov 21, 2009 | 8:45 am

Postal Service to resume North Pole Santa letters

By RACHEL D'ORO

Wide-eyed children around the world will be hearing from Santa's "elves" at the North Pole after all.

Nov 21, 2009 | 7:30 am

Resort island reels after deadly attack by gunman

By GEMMA CASAS

The gunman who carried out Saipan's most violent attack in recent memory ended his life on the same rocky cliffs where numerous Japanese leapt to their deaths to avoid capture by U.S. troops during World War II.

Nov 21, 2009 | 6:00 am

Levin: could be more e-mails from Ft. Hood suspect

By PAMELA HESS and ANNE GEARAN

WASHINGTON _ The government intercepted at least 18 e-mails between the alleged Fort Hood gunman and a radical Muslim cleric, and a key senator says there could be more communications that might have tipped off law enforcement or military officials.

Nov 21, 2009 | 2:55 am

The nation's weather

By WEATHER UNDERGROUND

Heavy rains was forecast to continue over the Gulf States on Saturday while the Pacific Northwest was expected to see scattered precipitation.

Nov 21, 2009 | 1:50 am

Robbery motive in deaths of 5 in rural Arkansas

By JON GAMBRELL

Thieves shot to death five Arkansas family members and burned their bodies for the meager bounty of a set of wheel rims and some flat-screen televisions, court documents said Friday.

Nov 21, 2009 | 12:50 am

Porn mogul's son to be tried in girlfriend's death

The son of a late San Francisco pornography mogul will stand trial on accusations that he crushed his ex-girlfriend's skull with a baseball bat.

Nov 21, 2009 | 12:35 am

Police: NC girl raped, killed on day she was taken

By ALYSIA PATTERSON

A 5-year-old North Carolina girl was raped and killed the same day she was taken from her home, according to an arrest warrant released Friday. Shaniya Davis was sexually assaulted and asphyxiated Nov. 10, the day her mother reported her missing from the trailer park where she was staying…

Nov 20, 2009 | 11:20 pm

Calif. launches probe into scam targeting churches

By ROBERT JABLON

California is investigating several companies suspected of bilking churches nationwide of hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraudulent computer leasing schemes, authorities said Friday.

Nov 20, 2009 | 11:20 pm

UC students occupy buildings to protest fee hike

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD

Dozens of demonstrators who barricaded themselves inside a campus building at the University of California, Berkeley in a protest over fee hikes and budget cuts were removed late Friday, bringing the daylong occupation to an end, university officials said.

Nov 20, 2009 | 10:30 pm

Car strikes crowd outside Ala. school, 1 killed

A woman lost control of her car and struck nine children and an adult who were standing outside a middle school Friday afternoon, police said.

Nov 20, 2009 | 10:15 pm

Car strikes crowd outside Ala. school, 1 killed

Police say a woman has died after being struck along with nine children by a car outside an Alabama middle school.

Nov 20, 2009 | 9:50 pm

No appeal of dismissed conviction in MySpace case

Prosecutors say they will not appeal the dismissal of a woman's convictions in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old girl who committed suicide.

Nov 20, 2009 | 9:35 pm

Prosecutor: Alleged Maui spy is difficult but sane

By HERBERT A. SAMPLE

A Maui man accused of spying for China is difficult to work with and makes wild exaggerations but is legally able to stand trial, a federal prosecutor asserted Friday.

Nov 20, 2009 | 8:45 pm

Obituaries in the news

The Associated Press

Nao Takasugi

Nov 20, 2009 | 8:40 pm

3-year-old leads toddler to safety in Ariz. fire

A 3-year-old Arizona boy helped his 1-year-old sister escape Friday from a house fire that killed their mother and injured two other adults, authorities said.

Nov 20, 2009 | 8:35 pm

Authorities: Man tied lizards to chest at airport

Federal officials say they arrested a man who strapped 15 live lizards to his chest to get through customs at Los Angeles International Airport.

Nov 20, 2009 | 7:55 pm