03/03/2010

Air traffic controller suspended for allowing son to radio instructions to pilots at New York's Kennedy Airport
The few quick exchanges between the elementary-school-aged child and jets waiting to take off from JFK, one of the nation's busiest airports, appeared to delight pilots at the time.

Senate passes jobless benefits extension
WASHINGTON – The Senate on Tuesday passed a $10 billion measure to maintain unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless and provide stopgap funding for highway programs after a holdout Republican dropped stalling tactics that had generated a Washington firestorm.

Living together first no guarantee of a lasting marriage, study says
Couples who live together before they get married are less likely to stay married, a new study has found. But their chances improve if they were already engaged when they began living together.

03/02/2010

Postal Service's emerging model: Never on Saturday
The post office is renewing its effort to drop Saturday delivery – and plans a rate increase – in an effort to fend off a projected $7 billion loss this year.

03/03/2010

Rep. Charles Rangel holding on to Ways and Means seat
WASHINGTON – Rep. Charles Rangel is denying that he's stepping down as chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, even as he faces growing pressure from other Democrats to do so after being admonished for taking two corporate-paid trips.

New York governor's scandal grows
ALBANY, N.Y. – The head of the New York State Police on Tuesday announced his abrupt retirement, becoming the second public safety official to depart amid an unfolding scandal threatening Gov. David Paterson and his administration.

Obama cites GOP ideas as he preps health care plan
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama embraced a handful of Republican health care ideas Tuesday to lure votes of Democrats wary of a more partisan approach as he prepared to spell out his final package for a sharply divided House and Senate, where its fate is unsure.

U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to end state, local gun bans
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared poised to strike down strict state and local gun bans, though in the most judicially conservative way possible.

Supreme Court declines to stop District of Columbia's gay marriage law
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stop the District of Columbia's gay marriage law, freeing the city to issue its first marriage licenses to same-sex couples as early as today.

Former California governor Jerry Brown enters race
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Democrat Jerry Brown officially entered the California governor's race Tuesday, a contest expected to be the most costly in state history.

Jury finds maker of Botox not responsible for death of Amarillo girl
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A jury determined Tuesday that Botox-maker Allergan was not responsible for the death of a 7-year-old Amarillo girl with cerebral palsy who died after receiving Botox injections.

03/02/2010

Obama to add some GOP ideas to health care plan
President Barack Obama will incorporate Republican ideas on medical malpractice reform and trying to rid the health care system of waste and abuse in a revised proposal he hopes jump-starts his stalled overhaul drive, a Democratic official told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

03/01/2010

Starbucks stuck in crossfire of gun-toting and gun-control groups
Dale Welch recently walked into a Starbucks in Virginia, handgun strapped to his waist, and ordered a banana Frappuccino with a cinnamon bun. He says the firearm drew a double-take from at least one customer, but not a peep from the baristas.

Colleges beef up alcohol-offense notifications to get parents to help curb drinking
At Virginia Tech, where tailgating and raucous apartment complex parties are time-honored rituals, university officials are turning increasingly to Mom and Dad to curb problem underage drinking.

02/28/2010

Obama's first medical checkup as president finds him 'fit for duty'
Navy Capt. Jeffrey Kuhlman said after the 90-minute exam at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., that he saw nothing that would prevent Obama from fulfilling his term as president. According to the White House, Kuhlman recommended that Obama "continue smoking cessation efforts" and modify his exercise regimen to strengthen his leg muscles to overcome occasional pain from chronic tendinitis in his left leg.

03/01/2010

GOP's Kyl says Congress will pass extended jobless benefits
WASHINGTON – Congress will pass legislation aimed at keeping certain jobless benefits, highway and transit money and other government programs funded, Sen. Jon Kyl, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, said Sunday.

FBI probe of unsolved civil rights killings yields many secrets
WASHINGTON – Three years after the FBI pledged to investigate more than 100 unsolved civil rights killings, the agency is ready to close all but a handful. Investigators say they have solved most of the mysteries behind the cases, but few will result in indictments, given the passage of decades, the deaths of prime suspects and the challenge of gathering evidence.

02/27/2010

Killer whales at Florida's SeaWorld perform for first time since trainer's death
More than 2,000 people watched killer whales perform Saturday at SeaWorld for the first time since one of the orcas dragged a trainer to her death underwater in front of horrified spectators three days ago.

02/28/2010

San Francisco considers a crackdown on nuisance Haight crimes
SAN FRANCISCO – In the Tenderloin, not far from tourists at the historic cable car turnaround, the city's incoming police chief was shocked to see open drug dealing.

02/26/2010

Shows to go on at SeaWorld after death
Shamu shows will resume Saturday, but staff at the for-profit parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego won't get back in the water with the hulking ocean predators until SeaWorld and a panel of outside experts complete a top-to-bottom review of how the company handles orcas.

Third blizzard this month smacks East, disrupts air travel
Every form of travel was miserable if not impossible. More than 1,000 flights were canceled, bus service across northern New Jersey was knocked out and roads from Ohio to West Virginia to Maine were closed. State troopers used snowmobiles to reach motorists stranded for hours on an eastern New York highway.

Missed restitution payment could threaten Ex-Detroit mayor's stay in Southlake
The Michigan Court of Appeals agreed to postpone a court hearing scheduled for Friday, but Kwame Kilpatrick still could face arraignment on the charge of violating his probation by missing a $79,011 restitution payment due last week.

02/27/2010

American Red Cross among agencies planning relief efforts
Anita Foster, senior communications officer for the American Red Cross in Dallas, said Saturday that the U.S. agency is in contact with the Chilean Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to determine how best to help those affected by the earthquake in Chile.

02/26/2010

Cows make lousy house guests, Arkansas woman learns
A woman in Murfreesboro recalls the day she came home to find three bovines inside.

02/25/2010

Senate signs off on jobs bill
WASHINGTON – The Senate easily passed a $15 billion jobs bill Wednesday amid hope that the measure could provide a blueprint for other items on President Barack Obama's agenda.

Obama picks Beaumont judge to be U.S. attorney for Collin, Denton, East Texas
The selection of John B. Stevens Jr. gives hope that a political impasse over judicial nominees in Texas may have been broken.

Obama: Bipartisan health deal may not be possible
Obama strongly suggested that Democrats will try to pass a sweeping overhaul without GOP support, by using controversial Senate budget rules that would disallow filibusters.
Opinion: Summit wrapup, analysis
Poll shows less fear on health overhaul
Read more about the president's plan

Whale attacks, kills trainer during Florida SeaWorld show
ORLANDO, Fla. – A killer whale attacked and killed a trainer in front of a horrified audience at a SeaWorld show Wednesday, with witnesses saying the animal involved in two previous deaths dragged the trainer under and thrashed her around violently.

Democrats look beyond health care summit
WASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats are looking beyond the White House health care summit, reckoning that today's session will amount to little more than political theater and focusing instead on a final round of intraparty negotiations likely to determine the fate of President Barack Obama's top domestic priority.

Obama's health care summit will be televised

02/26/2010

SeaWorld says it's keeping orca that killed trainer; shows suspended
ORLANDO, Fla. – Despite calls to free or destroy the animal, SeaWorld said Thursday that it will keep the killer whale that drowned its trainer but will suspend all orca shows while it decides whether to change the way handlers work with the behemoths.

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