2 dead after storms rake South, take aim at East
Written by KATE BRUMBACK,Associated Press
ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Kandi Cash trudged in rain through the splintered debris of her grandparents' home, hoping to salvage photos and other keepsakes after violent storms raked the Southeast, leaving two people dead before the vast storm front moved on to pummel the East Coast.
Republican Hagel faces GOP critics at hearing
Written by DONNA CASSATA,Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's nominee for defense secretary, is facing GOP critics who have challenged his past comments on Israel, Iran and nuclear weapons.
Standoff: Ala. gunman kills bus driver, seizes boy
Written by PHILLIP RAWLS,Associated Press
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) — Police hostage negotiators were locked in a standoff Wednesday with a gunman authorities say intercepted a school bus, killed the driver, snatched a 6-year-old boy and retreated with the kindergartener into a bunker at his home.
Phoenix police at home connected to shooting
Written by JACQUES BILLEAUD,Associated Press
PHOENIX (AP) — A gunman opened fire at a Phoenix office building on Wednesday, wounding three people, one of them critically, authorities said. Police were searching for the shooter.
Brazil nightclub owner blames country for fire
Written by JULIANA BARBASSA,Associated Press
SANTA MARIA, Brazil (AP) — The owner of a nightclub in southern Brazil where more than 230 people died in a fire last weekend deflected blame to "the whole country," as well as to architects and inspectors charged with making sure the building was safe, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Nabors on marrying partner: 'Just wanted it legal'
Written by OSKAR GARCIA,Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — Actor Jim Nabors says marrying his longtime male partner doesn't change anything about their relationship — he just wanted it to be formally acknowledged.
Ten years since loss of space shuttle Columbia
Written by MARCIA DUNN,AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — He was just 8 when NASA lost the space shuttle Columbia and he lost his astronaut mom.
US economy shrinks 0.1 pct., 1st time in 3½ years
Written by CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER,AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy unexpectedly shrank from October through December, the first quarterly drop since 2009 and a reminder of the economy's vulnerability as automatic cuts in government spending loom.