(AP) Former Israeli PM Sharon in critical conditionBy IAN DEITCHAssociated PressJERUSALEMFormer Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for eight years, was in critical condition on Thursday, clinging to life after a decline in the functioning
HOUSTON, Jan. 1 (UPI) —A group of Houston school bus drivers said they were reprimanded for using their radio system for personal purposes, to pray for a grieving coworker. Wretha Thomas of the Educational Support Union said the Houston Independent
(AP) Macau casinos hit jackpot with $45B in revenueHONG KONGThe tiny Chinese city of Macau has again smashed its annual record for casino earnings as revenues last year hit a staggering $45 billion, further underlining its position as the world’s
(AP) Legal weed sales bring long lines to ColoradoBy KRISTEN WYATTAssociated PressDENVERLong lines and blustery winter weather greeted Colorado marijuana shoppers testing the nation’s first legal recreational pot shops Wednesday. It was hard to tell from talking to the shoppers,
US Secretary of State John Kerry was to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday as he seeks agreement on a framework for final status talks with the Palestinians. The top US diplomat has faced fierce opposition from both sides
Global retail giant Wal-Mart Stores has recalled a donkey meat product from some Chinese stores after tests found traces of other animals’ DNA, the company said Thursday, after authorities said it contained fox meat. The world’s largest retailer will reimburse
(AP) Marketing efforts to uninsured youth ramp upBy KELLI KENNEDYAssociated PressMIAMIThe so-called “young invincibles” are so important to the success of the Affordable Care Act that supporters and detractors are spending millions to reach them with racy ads, social media
(AP) Poll: Americans have little faith in governmentBy CHARLES BABINGTON and JENNIFER AGIESTAAssociated PressWASHINGTONAmericans enter 2014 with a profoundly negative view of their government, expressing little hope that elected officials can or will solve the nation’s biggest problems, a new
(AP) Pakistan’s Musharraf taken to hospital, not courtBy MUNIR AHMEDAssociated PressISLAMABADPakistan’s former President Pervez Musharraf was rushed to the hospital on Thursday with a “heart problem” he experienced while on his way to a court hearing in a high treason
(AP) Knights knock off Bears 52-42 in Fiesta BowlBy JOHN MARSHALLAP College Football WriterGLENDALE, Ariz.Central Florida was supposed to be a patsy for Baylor in its first BCS bowl. The Knights wanted no part of it, turning the Fiesta Bowl
(AP) Michigan St beats Stanford 24-20 in Rose BowlBy GREG BEACHAMAP Sports WriterPASADENA, Calif.Connor Cook passed for a career-high 332 yards and hit Tony Lippett with a tiebreaking 25-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, leading No. 4 Michigan
(AP)EUREKA, Calif.Authorities say a popular priest has been found dead in the rectory of a Northern California church, and detectives have launched a homicide investigation. Eureka Mayor Frank Jager tells the Eureka Times-Standard ( http://bit.ly/KldJOc) that the body of Rev.
(AP) Nurses, family bond online as Iranian dies in USBy ED WHITEAssociated PressA nurse in a Michigan hospital kissed the patient’s forehead. More than 6,000 miles away, Sanaz Nezami’s family in Iran watched the simple act over a laptop computer
(AP)PHOENIXPolice say a Phoenix father has confessed to killing his son with an ax. Sgt. Steve Martos says 51-year-old Gary Sherrill was arrested on New Year’s Eve and booked on a charge of first-degree murder. It’s not clear whether Sherrill
(AP) 15,000 nationalists march in KievBy NATALIYA VASILYEVAAssociated PressKIEV, UkraineAbout 15,000 people marched through Kiev on Wednesday night to honor Stepan Bandera, glorified by some as a leader of Ukraine’s liberation movement and dismissed by others as a Nazi collaborator.
(AP) NEW YORK–James Avery, the bulky character actor who laid down the law as the Honorable Philip Banks in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” has died. Avery’s publicist, Cynthia Snyder, told The Associated Press that Avery died Tuesday in Glendale,
(AP) NYC Mayor de Blasio takes formal oath at City HallBy JONATHAN LEMIREAssociated PressNEW YORKBill de Blasio took the oath of office administered by former President Bill Clinton on Wednesday, formally becoming the 109th mayor of New York City while
(AP) 13 taken to hospitals after Minneapolis fireBy JEFF BAENENAssociated PressMINNEAPOLISA billowing fire engulfed a three-story building near downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, sending 13 people to hospitals with injuries ranging from burns to trauma associated with falls. Officials said
(AP) Two-woman ticket in Texas goes for history in 2014By PAUL J. WEBERAssociated PressAUSTIN, TexasForget whether Hillary Clinton could win the White House in 2016. Women still have yet to run many statehouses, but in 2014 two Texas Democrats are
NBC ushered in 2014 with a joke aimed at Pearl Harbor veterans supposedly too old to chew solid food. The channel’s New Year’s Eve coverage, anchored by Carson Daly, featured a panel of stars including actors Anthony Anderson, Jane Lynch
(AP) Groomers are dazzling up dogs with bling, bowsBy SUE MANNINGAssociated PressLOS ANGELESSugarplum went into the salon as a reddish-blonde dachshund mix and came out with pink and green ears, a rainbow tail and a bow in her fur. For
Michael Moore calls ObamaCare “awful” in today’s The New York Times, part of a blistering op-ed attacking the president from the far left. The progressive pines for socialized medicine, and he says so does President Barack Obama despite the health care
(AP) Marketing efforts to uninsured youth ramp upBy KELLI KENNEDYAssociated PressMIAMIThe so-called “young invincibles” are so important to the success of the Affordable Care Act that supporters and detractors are spending millions to reach them with racy ads, social media
(AP) Woman crushed to death by Boston drawbridgeBOSTONA woman walking across a Boston drawbridge was crushed to death Tuesday after an operator raising the bridge for a boat to pass heard her screams and lowered it, accidentally trapping her between
(AP) 27 eagle deaths in Utah caused by West Nile VirusBy MICHELLE L. PRICEAssociated PressSALT LAKE CITYThe mystery illness that has killed 27 bald eagles in Utah this month appears to be West Nile Virus, state officials said Tuesday. The
