'Unusual condition' seen before Conn. train wreck
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- The engineer of the commuter train that derailed last week in Connecticut observed an "unusual condition" on the track before the wreck, federal officials said Friday without explaining what the condition was, though they did say repair work was done last month in the area of the crash....
Colo. school searched after report of armed man
THORNTON, Colo. (AP) -- Police searched a high school in the northern Denver suburbs Friday after a report of a man with a rifle outside the school....
Man accused of killing 5 in Illinois takes stand
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) -- A man accused of killing five members of a central Illinois family with a tire iron has wiped away tears as he painted a horrifying picture of the murder scene to jurors....
Can Tornado Alley become safer? Yes, within limits
In the wind-swept prairie called Tornado Alley, the scene is eerily familiar: Homes smashed to splinters. Trees and telephone poles snapped like twigs. Piles of bricks, overturned cars and dazed survivors sifting through rubble in search of a precious photo or heirloom. A town in ruins....
'Horrified' trucker watches I-5 bridge collapse
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) -- A truck hauling an oversized load of drilling equipment hit an overhead bridge girder on the major route between Seattle and Canada, sending a section of the interstate into the river below as the driver watched the structure collapse in his rearview mirror....
Ill. House approves guns plan opposed by governor
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Gun owners in the only state still banning concealed weapons would win that right under a plan approved by the Illinois House on Friday, but the governor and other powerful Democrats oppose the plan because it would wipe out local gun ordinances - including Chicago's ban on assault weapons....
Illinois judge charged with heroin, gun possession
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A southwestern Illinois judge already under scrutiny after a colleague died of a cocaine overdose at his family's hunting lodge was charged Friday with possession of heroin and guns....
Suspect in killing of officer found dead in cell
OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- A Utah Army veteran charged with killing a police officer and wounding five others in a shootout during a marijuana raid was found hanging dead in his cell early Friday....
Lawyer wants documents in Maine teen death sealed
BANGOR, Maine (AP) -- The lawyer for a Maine man charged with killing a 15-year-old girl wants a judge to keep affidavits and search warrants with details about the case under seal....
Evacuated residents of ND city returning home
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- As authorities suggested residents of a northeastern North Dakota city flee their homes earlier this week in case a rain-swollen dam burst, Daryl Thompson hurriedly prepared meals at his Main Street cafe for the emergency workers who would stay behind....
16 hurt in shuttle bus crash near Atlanta airport
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) -- Sixteen people were taken to the hospital Friday, at least two in serious condition, after they were hurt in a crash between a hotel shuttle bus and a tractor-trailer near Atlanta's airport, officials said....
Wis. farmers, firefighters partner on hazards maps
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Without even thinking, Joe Ortner rattles off a list of items on his family's dairy farm that could kill you: 1,000 gallons of diesel, 500 gallons of gas, cleaning chemicals in the milking parlor, oil and lubricant for repair work and a 6-foot-deep manure pond in which you could drown....
Arellano Felix drug cartel figure pleads guilty
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The last of the Arellano Felix brothers who founded an infamous Mexican drug cartel has pleaded guilty in San Diego to helping ship hundreds of millions of dollars in proceeds from the United States....
Syria targeted Israeli jeep going to rebel village
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Syria said it targeted an Israeli vehicle that crossed a ceasefire line into its territory earlier this week because it was heading toward a village with a large rebel presence....
