03/05/2010

GM to reinstate 600 dealers that were slated to be closed
GM last year told 2,000 dealerships it would revoke their franchise agreements in October 2010 as part of its restructuring.
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Angry anti-gov't writing linked to Pentagon gunman
John Patrick Bedell, 36, of Hollister, Calif., was named as the gunman in the attack Thursday evening that superficially wounded two officers guarding the massive Defense Department headquarters.

Salmonella forces recall of more than 50 items
WASHINGTON – A number of processed foods – including soups, snack foods, dips and dressings – are being recalled after salmonella was discovered in a flavor-enhancing ingredient.

NASA chief denies talk of averting Obama's space plan
In response to reports that he was looking for a Plan B to address congressional concerns, the head of NASA said Thursday that he was not backing away from the Obama administration's proposal to reshape the nation's human spaceflight program.

Experts affirm asteroid killed off dinosaurs, half of Earth's species 65.5 million years ago
LOS ANGELES – It's official: The extinction of the dinosaurs and a host of other species 65.5 million years ago was caused by a massive asteroid that crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, creating worldwide havoc, an international team of researchers said Thursday.

Ethics issue may be roadblock for Dems in November
WASHINGTON – Unethical behavior by lawmakers helped Democrats win control of the Capitol in the 2006 elections, and the same issue could come back to haunt the party this November.

California sex offender held in teen's murder is scrutinized in 2 other cases
SAN DIEGO – A convicted sex offender charged with murdering a 17-year-old girl in Southern California is under investigation in last year's disappearance of a 14-year-old girl and the attempted kidnapping of another teenager, authorities said.

Black leaders discuss how to ask embattled NY Gov. Paterson to resign
NEW YORK – David Paterson, New York's first black governor and a product of the Harlem political machine, faced rapidly waning support Thursday as many black leaders who have worked with him for decades gathered to discuss how to persuade him to leave office.

Obama urges House Democrats to seize the moment on health care bill
WASHINGTON – Support from his own party in doubt, President Barack Obama summoned more than a dozen House Democrats to the White House on Thursday, pleading with them to put aside their qualms, seize a historic moment and vote for his massive health care overhaul.

Fixes to unsafe window coverings are slow in coming
WASHINGTON – When 3-year-old Brandyn Coppedge became entangled on a window blind cord, it took less than a minute for the toddler to die. His father says the safety device designed to prevent such a tragedy had broken, but the window blind was never recalled.

Mass firings don't wipe away woes at Rhode Island high school
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – When all the teachers were fired from Central Falls High School last week in a sweeping effort at school reform, their superintendent gave them a taste of the accountability President Barack Obama says is necessary.

03/04/2010

Deep cuts in education spending spark protests
BERKELEY, Calif. – Protests against deep education cuts at universities turned violent as demonstrators threw punches and ice chunks in Wisconsin and blocked freeways and smashed car windows in California.

Suspect in Pentagon shooting dies
The gunman walked up to a security checkpoint at the Pentagon in an apparent attempt to get inside the massively fortified Defense Department headquarters, drew a weapon and shot two police officers.

New York's Rangel steps down as chief of House Ways and Means Committee
WASHINGTON – Buffeted by ethics inquiries, veteran New York Rep. Charles Rangel stepped down Wednesday as chairman of the House's powerful tax-writing committee, delivering a fresh political jolt to a Democratic Party already facing angry voters.

Obama says he wants an up-or-down vote on health care legislation
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's endorsement Wednesday of a risky legislative maneuver to complete health care legislation sent Democratic leaders scrambling to settle disputes and assemble the votes necessary for passage in the coming weeks.

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.

03/04/2010

Obama's planned trip to Australia, Indonesia could clash with vote on health care bill
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's push to get health care legislation passed soon might collide with his planned visit to Indonesia and Australia, creating a schedule conflict that concerns some Democrats, including White House aides.

General warns that overseas demands hurt Army training at home
WASHINGTON – The Army's ability to train its forces is "increasingly at risk" because of the nation's protracted commitments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the general in charge of training has told the Army's chief of staff.

'Sully' Sullenberger, pilot in Hudson River landing, retires
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has flown his final flight.

National news briefs
Yankees tickets may cost N.Y. governor

Sex offender charged in murder of teenager in San Diego
SAN DIEGO – A 30-year-old convicted sex offender was charged Wednesday with murdering and raping or attempting to rape 17-year-old Chelsea King, who disappeared last week after heading out for a run in a park.

President Barack Obama supports 'up-or-down' vote on health care reform
After President Barack Obama on Wednesday made his latest pitch on how to proceed on health care, the political spotlight turned to the R-words: Republicans and reconciliation.

Pentagon vows fair 'don't ask' study
WASHINGTON – The leaders of a new Pentagon study promised Congress on Wednesday an honest assessment on whether allowing gays to serve openly might cause troops to lose their edge in battle.

Bullying down sharply across U.S., survey finds
NEW YORK – There's been a sharp drop in the percentage of America's children being bullied or beaten up by their peers, according to a new national survey by experts who believe anti-bullying programs are having an impact.

Air traffic controller suspended for letting kids radio calls to jets
NEW YORK – An air traffic controller at New York's Kennedy Airport has been suspended after he allowed two children to radio instructions to several pilots.

EPA would require permits to spur biggest polluters to cut emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency intends to require that power plants, refineries and other major sources of global-warming pollution get permits beginning in 2011 that would require them to cut emissions, the agency's leader said Wednesday.

03/03/2010

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.

02/27/2010

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.

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