News For Tuesday Aug 5, 2008 News For Tuesday Aug 5, 2008

U.S. U.S.

Officials revise count of burned homes in Yosemite - Added 3 weeks ago

A fire burning outside Yosemite National Park has destroyed 28 homes, seven more than previously thought, fire officials reported Tuesday as weather forecasts produced new wildfire worries. Officials said crews were...

Judge tosses sex crime convictions of DNA exonoree - Added 3 weeks ago

A judge on Tuesday recommended clearing the record of a wrongly convicted man who spent 25 years in prison for a series of sex crimes he did not commit. Steven Phillips responded by removing a tracking device that had...

Fraud trial begins for disputed Indian chief - Added 3 weeks ago

For decades, the self-proclaimed chief of a group that claims to be an American Indian tribe was just an annoyance and a pest _ until he got the idea in 2004 of selling tribal memberships to immigrants, a prosecutor...

GAO: Iraq could have $79 billion budget surplus - Added 3 weeks ago

The Iraqi government could end the year with as much as a $79 billion budget surplus as ever-increasing oil revenues pile on top of leftover income the Iraqis still haven't spent on their national rebuilding effort,...

Official: Teen in firearms case had Camp David map - Added 3 weeks ago

A Maryland prosecutor says police found a Camp David map with a presidential motorcade route at the home of a teen held on firearms charges. Montgomery County Assistant State's Attorney Peter A. Feeney said at a court...

Brewer says feds OK'd `Legal Weed' on bottle caps - Added 3 weeks ago

A Northern California brewer who tangled with federal regulators over the caps on his beer bottles said Tuesday officials have given him permission to keep the message "Try Legal Weed." The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and...

Texas beach towns get back to normal after storm - Added 3 weeks ago

Surfers and joggers hit the beach Tuesday after Tropical Storm Edouard brushed past and caused little damage, while inland farmers hoped the storm's remnants would help ease drought conditions. "Galveston is open for...

Ladders, buoys considered for deadly border canal - Added 3 weeks ago

!!-- pobj:LA104-0119082104 -->The agency that is lining a border waterway with concrete agreed Tuesday to consider adding ladders and buoys to prevent migrants from drowning when they illegally cross from Mexico into...

CIA officials deny fake Iraq-al-Qaida link letter - Added 3 weeks ago

Two former CIA officers Tuesday denied that they or the spy agency faked an Iraqi intelligence document purporting to link Saddam Hussein with 9/11 bomber Mohammed Atta, as they are quoted as saying in a new book. The...

111-year-old reptile finally becoming a father - Added 3 weeks ago

Officials say an indigenous New Zealand reptile regarded as one of the last living remnants of the dinosaurs will become a father for the first time in decades at the age of 111. Henry the tuatara and his younger mate...

Agents accidentally shot while gun being holstered - Added 3 weeks ago

Two federal agents wounded in an accidental shooting at the federal courthouse were shot when a U.S. Marshal's gun went off as he was trying to holster it, federal authorities said Tuesday. Officials with the U.S....

DIA's new mission adds to intel arsenal - Added 3 weeks ago

The Defense Intelligence Agency, long a home for intelligence analysis, is joining the spy vs. spy game. DIA joins just three other military organizations authorized to carry out offensive counterintelligence...

Violent storms spawn tornadoes in Chicago area - Added 3 weeks ago

Crews began cleaning up downed trees and restoring power across northern Illinois on Tuesday after a line of powerful storms ripped through the area, spawning at least two tornadoes. The National Weather Service...

Priest gets 10 years for abusing 3 Arizona teens - Added 3 weeks ago

A priest has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing three Tucson teenagers. Gary Edward Underwood apologized to his victims and asked for their forgiveness before he was sentenced Monday. The...

NY charges for woman in Afghan military shooting - Added 3 weeks ago

An MIT-educated Pakistani woman linked to al-Qaida appeared in federal court Tuesday to face charges she tried to kill U.S. employees in a gunfight in Afghanistan after police said they discovered suspicious documents...

3rd trial in 'Mineola Swinger's Club' under way - Added 3 weeks ago

An East Texas man took part in "pure evil" by helping to run swinger parties that forced children young as 5 to have sex, prosecutors told jurors Tuesday. An 11-year-old girl then testified about taking "silly pills"...

Jet evacuated after emergency landing at LAX - Added 3 weeks ago

Passengers were evacuated by inflatable chutes Tuesday after a Honolulu-bound airliner made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport because someone smelled smoke in the cabin. No sign of fire was...

Indictment links "Junior" Gotti to 3 NY killings - Added 3 weeks ago

Despite surviving three mistrials in two years and declaring himself long retired from the mob, John A. "Junior" Gotti was hit with new federal charges Tuesday involving three gangland slayings _ including one ordered...

US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 496 - Added 3 weeks ago

As of Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008, at least 496 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department....

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,132 - Added 3 weeks ago

As of Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008, at least 4,132 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians...

2 window washers die in fall at NYC building - Added 3 weeks ago

A cherry picker holding two window washers at a downtown Manhattan building tipped over early Tuesday, killing both men. Police spokesman Detective John Sweeney said the accident happened at the World Financial Center,...

Anthrax widow's lawsuit blames US for death - Added 3 weeks ago

The widow of a tabloid photo editor who died in the 2001 anthrax attacks insisted in a $50 million federal lawsuit filed years ago that the U.S. government was ultimately responsible for his death. Now that the FBI is...

US plans NYC flight auction next month - Added 3 weeks ago

The government will auction off a prized takeoff and landing slot at Newark Liberty airport next month, as the first step in an experiment to ease nationwide travel delays through changes in New York City airspace. A...

Miss. state pathologist's contract is terminated - Added 3 weeks ago

Mississippi has terminated the contract for a state pathologist whose work was the subject of complaints by prisoners' advocates, although state officials emphasized the move announced Tuesday wasn't related to the...

Federal agent dies after Fla. post office shooting - Added 3 weeks ago

!!-- pobj:FLLAU102-0805081415 -->!!-- pobj:FLLAU101-0805081413 -->A federal agent was fatally shot outside a busy south Florida post office after a fight Tuesday, and dozens of police officers searched the area for the...

Woman pleads guilty in Ky. social worker slaying - Added 3 weeks ago

A western Kentucky woman has pleaded guilty to killing a social worker who was facilitating a visit with her infant son. Renee Terrell pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder and other charges. The 35-year-old and...

Pa. rape suspect shoots at police before arrest - Added 3 weeks ago

Police say a man took a 14-year-old girl from her home at gunpoint early Tuesday and raped her at an eastern Pennsylvania motel, where he later opened fire on police before they arrested him. Police allege that Derek...

Study says China top violator of Sudan embargo - Added 3 weeks ago

China has been the "most egregious violator" of a worldwide arms embargo, providing Sudan with the vast majority of its small arms and weapons used for mass murder in Darfur province, a private study group is charging. ...

Capsule reviews of `Pineapple Express' and others - Added 3 weeks ago

Capsule reviews of films opening this week: "Pineapple Express" _ The formula is pretty familiar by now in these Judd Apatow-produced comedies. A couple of buddies get into trouble, and as they try to bumble their way...

Famed Atlanta resident who ate bananas comes to TV - Added 3 weeks ago

!!-- pobj:NYXXX-0805081636 -->For decades, one of Atlanta's most famous residents lived in a cage and mostly ate bananas. Now Willie B., a beloved gorilla who died eight years ago, has become the posthumous star of a TV...

Kosher meats firm cited for child labor violations - Added 3 weeks ago

Iowa labor officials said Tuesday that they had uncovered dozens of child labor violations at the nation's biggest supplier of kosher meat. Officials from the state's Labor Commissioner's Office said their...

Return of Ark. ex-lawmaker in sex case blocked - Added 3 weeks ago

An ex-legislator who gave up his seat to settle a felony sexual assault charge but is running for the job again was effectively blocked from returning to the House by his former colleagues Tuesday. By an 86-1 vote, the...

Report: Nuclear waste disposal will cost US $96B - Added 3 weeks ago

Even if no new reactors are built, getting rid of the country's nuclear waste will cost $96.2 billion and require a major expansion of the planned Nevada waste dump beyond limits imposed by Congress, the Energy...

Ohio preacher, 71, convicted in road rage case - Added 3 weeks ago

A 71-year-old Cincinnati preacher has been convicted of aggravated menacing, after another motorist said he waved a gun and cursed at her. Thomas Howell could get up to six months in jail on the misdemeanor charge when...

Goats slip past security fence near NYC bridge - Added 3 weeks ago

It was a report calculated to send chills through those charged with anti-terrorist vigilance in New York City: Bearded intruders secretly penetrate heavily guarded transportation site. But it turned out the would-be...

Saying goodbye is hard for lawmakers - Added 3 weeks ago

In the Senate, Democrats are refusing to adjourn for the August recess. Over in the House, Republicans are refusing to leave. Senate Democrats, repeating a tactic they have used all year, staged a lightning-fast pro...

Soldier may face murder charge in Afghan death - Added 3 weeks ago

Army prosecutors said Tuesday they plan to seek a murder charge against a Special Forces soldier accused of killing and mutilating the body of a civilian in southern Afghanistan. Officials at the U.S. Army Special...

Bird dung means big business on Peru island - Added 3 weeks ago

It's a dirty job, but people love to do it. Workers toiling 24 days a month loosen, scrape, sift, filter and bag bird dung to make some of the world's finest organic fertilizer _ known as guano. They work in a chilly...

US: Iran reaction to nuclear offer not acceptable - Added 3 weeks ago

Iran's response to an incentives package aimed at defusing a dispute over its nuclear program is unacceptable, U.S. officials said Tuesday, making the prospect of new sanctions against the country more likely. The...

OJ co-defendant appeals for separate trial - Added 3 weeks ago

O.J. Simpson's last remaining co-defendant in an armed robbery and kidnapping case is asking the Nevada Supreme Court for a separate trial, saying if they are tried together he would be unfairly convicted. Clarence...

Laptop with security applicants' data is found - Added 3 weeks ago

The company that runs an airport security prescreening program said Tuesday they've found a laptop containing the personal information of 33,000 people more than a week after it apparently went missing. The...

Missing Florida girl's mother formally charged - Added 3 weeks ago

Prosecutors have filed formal charges against the 22-year-old mother of a missing central Florida girl, but not in her disappearance. Casey Anthony was formally charged Tuesday with child neglect and filing a false...

Couple marrying Friday to clinch luck of triple 8s - Added 3 weeks ago

It may not be as big as 7-7-7, but thousands of couples are heading down the aisle Friday, hoping the date Aug. 8, 2008, brings them luck and an easy to remember anniversary date. The number eight has long been...

Oregon thief interrupts bike trip from Indiana - Added 3 weeks ago

Melissa Henige and Andy Davis have been cycling cross-country this summer, pedaling west from their home in Indiana toward San Francisco, where they plan to marry. But when the Bloomington, Ind., couple stopped in...

Ohio woman bills Michigan $16 for work zone delay - Added 3 weeks ago

An Ohio woman has sent Michigan transportation officials a bill for the $16 she says she wasted on gasoline sitting in construction zone traffic. Carol Greenberg complained there were no signs warning about the work on...

Landlord allegedly rams Hummer into renter's house - Added 3 weeks ago

Police have arrested a Newark area landlord who allegedly rammed his Hummer into a renter's house, claiming the tenants were behind on their rent. New Castle County Police spokesman Cpl. Trinidad Navarro said the...

Man tells 911 slot machine stole his money - Added 3 weeks ago

A second Florida man has been arrested on charges of making false 911 calls in as many days. An arrest report says 47-year-old Carlos Gutierrez was at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino early Monday and called 911 to say...

South Korean firm delivers commercial dog clones - Added 3 weeks ago

Booger is back. An American woman received five puppies Tuesday that were cloned from her beloved late pitbull, becoming the inaugural customer of a South Korean company that says it is the world's first successful...

Ala. man pleads not guilty in frozen body death - Added 3 weeks ago

A part-time south Alabama evangelist pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a murder charge in the death of his wife, a mother of eight whose body had been stored in a freezer at least three years. Through his attorney, Anthony...

Report: China intensifies crackdown on Tibet - Added 3 weeks ago

Days before the start of the Beijing Olympics, a pro-Tibet activist group is criticizing China for intensifying a crackdown on Tibet and sealing off virtually the entire Tibetan plateau to "hide its repression." In a...