• Pilot ditches plane into frigid river; 155 survive 1/15/2009, 7:43 p.m. PST
NEW YORK (AP) — A cool-headed pilot maneuvered his crippled jetliner over New York City and ditched it in the frigid Hudson River on Thursday, and all 155 on board were pulled to safety as the plane slowly sank. It was, the governor said, "a miracle on the Hudson."

• Conviction nixed in deadly botched Ga. drug raid 1/15/2009, 7:41 p.m. PST
ATLANTA (AP) — An appeals court has overturned the conviction of a former Atlanta police officer sentenced to prison for lying to FBI agents about the killing of a 92-year-old woman during a botched drug raid.

• Report: China's wild camels increasing 1/15/2009, 7:33 p.m. PST
GUANGZHOU, China (AP) — The number of wild camels — rugged creatures living in a former nuclear test zone with increasingly scarce water — in China's western Xinjiang territory has grown to about 500, making up about half of the world's population of the animals, state-run media reported Friday.

• Obama moves into at Blair House 1/15/2009, 7:31 p.m. PST
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama moved his family into a new temporary home, the historic Blair House, on Thursday, then went to dinner with his wife at a nearby restaurant just as President George W. Bush was starting his televised farewell address to the nation.

• 4 kids badly burned by sulfuric acid in Texas 1/15/2009, 7:29 p.m. PST
GAINESVILLE, Texas (AP) — A woman accused of child endangerment after her four children were doused with sulfuric acid said she was the intended target for the caustic material, Cooke County Sheriff Michael Compton said Thursday.

• Passengers in NY plane ordeal marvel they're alive 1/15/2009, 7:23 p.m. PST
NEW YORK (AP) — Shock, relief, gratitude. Most of all, the soaked and freezing passengers of Flight 1549 just seemed amazed to be alive.

• Bush's last speech puts his record in best light 1/15/2009, 7:23 p.m. PST
(AP) — In his final speech to the nation, President George W. Bush took pride in his record at home and abroad, describing hopeful events and accomplishments. But what he left unsaid was significant too.

• Bush defends 2 tumultuous terms in farewell speech 1/15/2009, 7:15 p.m. PST
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unpopular but unbowed, President George W. Bush defended his tumultuous two terms in a farewell address to the nation Thursday night, claiming a hard-won record of achievement. Reaching back to the Sept. 11 attacks, when the public rallied behind him, Bush declared the United States will "never tire, never falter and never fail."

• Hudson River hero is ex-Air Force fighter pilot 1/15/2009, 7:15 p.m. PST
NEW YORK (AP) — The pilot who guided a crippled US Airways jetliner safely into the Hudson River — saving all 155 people aboard — became an instant hero Thursday, with accolades from the mayor and governor and a fan club online.

• $50 million promised to soften border fence impact 1/15/2009, 7:14 p.m. PST
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security will allocate as much as $50 million to mitigate the environmental impact of the U.S.-Mexico border fence ordered by the Bush administration.

• Mexico police accused of spray-painting teens 1/15/2009, 7:11 p.m. PST
MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Four teenagers say police in a northern Mexican town spray-painted their hair, shoes and buttocks to teach them not to paint graffiti on public property.

• Report: NKorea's Kim taps 3rd son as successor 1/15/2009, 7:01 p.m. PST
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is believed to have named his youngest son to succeed him as head of the Stalinist nation, a South Korean news report said.

• Pilot reported double bird strike after takeoff 1/15/2009, 6:45 p.m. PST
WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than minute after a normal takeoff, the US Airways pilot probably heard and felt the thumps. He hastily radioed his air controller "double bird strike" and asked to return to LaGuardia airport. As he turned back, he saw an airstrip beneath him and got emergency clearance to land there in northern New Jersey instead. He never made it.

• Ohio lawyer gets 4 years for stealing from clients 1/15/2009, 6:44 p.m. PST
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A former Ohio lawyer who concocted a story about being kidnapped after a client accused her of taking his money has been sentenced to four years in prison for stealing.

• Springer leads Iona past Niagara 71-65 1/15/2009, 6:38 p.m. PST
LEWISTON, N.Y. (AP) — Gary Springer led Iona with 16 points as the Gaels defeated Niagara 71-65 on Thursday night in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Gallagher Center.

• Israeli forces shell UN office in Gaza 1/15/2009, 6:37 p.m. PST
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli artillery shells struck the U.N. headquarters in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, setting a food warehouse ablaze and drawing a sharp rebuke from the visiting U.N. chief who called it an "outrage." Another Israeli bombardment killed Hamas' head of security.

• Pentagon: Iraq withdrawal has 16-month time frame 1/15/2009, 6:36 p.m. PST
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pentagon officials said Thursday they will be ready on Inauguration Day with plans for a quick pullout of U.S. combat troops from Iraq if Barack Obama orders one, as he pledged to do during his White House campaign.

• Text of Bush's farewell address Thursday 1/15/2009, 6:32 p.m. PST
(AP) — Text of President George W. Bush's farewell address Thursday, as transcribed by the White House:

• Immigration officials end RI detention contract 1/15/2009, 6:30 p.m. PST
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Federal immigration officials said Thursday that guards at a privately run detention facility dragged a detainee dying of cancer screaming down the hall, even though he had a doctor's note authorizing the use of a wheelchair.

• Well-wishers warned to use care along train route 1/15/2009, 6:23 p.m. PST
BALTIMORE (AP) — State and local governments are warning well-wishers who want to wave to President-elect Barack Obama as he passes through on his "Whistle Stop Tour" from Philadelphia to Washington on Saturday to stay away from the railroad tracks.

• Response to emergency landing has heroic results 1/15/2009, 6:20 p.m. PST
NEW YORK (AP) — As the US Airways plane hit the frigid waters of the Hudson River, emergency crews were already headed to the scene. And the swift, dramatic response had an amazing result: All the 155 people aboard were pulled to safety.

• Ditched jetliner: A boom, and then a jolt 1/15/2009, 6:17 p.m. PST
NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff Kolodjay settled into seat 22-A, near the rear of the Airbus A320, glad to be on his way. It had been a frustrating afternoon. First, the Spirit Airways flight Kolodjay, his father and four buddies were ticketed for was canceled. Now this one, US Airways Flight 1549 to Charlotte, N.C., was running behind.

• EPA finds toxins throughout Columbia Basin 1/15/2009, 6:08 p.m. PST
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said in a report Thursday that toxins remain at levels harmful to people, fish and wildlife throughout the Northwest, despite decades-long cleanups.

• Moored boat sinks from Alaska rig; 14 evacuated 1/15/2009, 6:05 p.m. PST
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A moored boat sank after bumping into an oil rig platform Thursday, spilling some of the vessel's diesel fuel into the Cook Inlet and forcing 14 people to evacuate from the rig.

• How much clout would a Sen. Caroline Kennedy have? 1/15/2009, 6:03 p.m. PST
NEW YORK (AP) — As the governor considers a replacement for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Caroline Kennedy has spoken repeatedly of her "relationships" in Washington and her desire to use them on New York's behalf.