NATIONAL NEWS
Earl threatens East Coast with 125 mph winds
BUXTON, N.C. (AP) — The last ferries pulled away from North Carolina's vulnerable barrier islands Thursday as Hurricane Earl spun closer with winds near 125 mph, putting the East Coast all the way to Canada on alert for what could be a blustery next several days. ...Read More
Oil platform explodes off La. coast; oil spreading
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — An oil platform exploded and caught fire Thursday off the Louisiana coast, spreading a mile-long oil sheen into the Gulf of Mexico. All 13 crew members were rescued. ...Read More
Feds sue Arizona sheriff in civil rights probe
PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department sued Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Thursday, saying the Arizona lawman refused for more than a year to turn over records in an investigation into allegations his department discriminates against Hispanics. ...Read More
Gunman shot as Discovery hostages planned escape
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — As the three hostages at Discovery Channel's headquarters appeared ready to make a run for it, police said Thursday that a SWAT team officer quickly shot and killed the increasingly agitated gunman who had explosives strapped to himself, ending the four-hour standoff. ...Read More
Chicago gangs to top cop: You're not playing fair
CHICAGO (AP) — Several current and ex-gang members lashed out at Chicago's police chief on Thursday, calling his so-called "gang summit" initiative to crack down on crime a wasted effort that will have little effect on the streets of the county's third largest city. ...Read More
Risks remain with Gulf well cap coming off
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The cap that ended BP's three-month oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico was set to come off Thursday as a prelude to raising a massive, failed piece of equipment and preparing for a final seal on the broken seafloor well. ...Read More
Man in Letterman blackmail plot freed from NY jail
NEW YORK (AP) — The former television producer who tried to blackmail David Letterman was freed Thursday after four months in jail for a plot that put a spotlight on the comic icon's office affairs, city Correction Department records show. ...Read More
Judge punishes Michigan juror for Facebook post
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit-area woman who was removed from a jury for commenting about the ongoing case on Facebook has a longer writing task ahead: a five-page essay about the constitutional right to a fair trial. ...Read More
Army: Chaplain is 1st killed in action since '70
DENVER (AP) — A chaplain killed in Afghanistan this week was the first Army clergyman killed in action since the Vietnam War, the military said Thursday. ...Read More
Attorney accused in prison drug-smuggling case
ST. LOUIS (AP) — An FBI agent says an Illinois defense attorney facing federal charges that he tried to smuggle a heroin-filled condom into an Indiana federal prison claims to have done it repeatedly, exploiting greater privacy privileges lawyers are afforded in the lockups. ...Read More
Another rig explodes off La. coast; oil spreading
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — Another oil rig exploded and caught fire Thursday off the Louisiana coast, spreading a mile-long oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico west of the site of BP's massive spill. All 13 crew members were rescued. ...Read More
Some bunker down, some flee as Earl approaches US
BUXTON, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Earl was barreling toward the Eastern Seaboard on Thursday with winds swirling at around 145 mph and forecasters were trying to pinpoint exactly how close the strongest winds and heaviest surge would get to North Carolina's fragile chain of barrier islands. ...Read More
Discovery Channel hostage-taker hated programming
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — A gunman police shot to death after he took hostages at Discovery Channel's headquarters said he hated the company's shows such as "Kate Plus 8" because they promote population growth and its environmental programming because it did little to save the planet. ...Read More
Mass. coast gets hurricane warning ahead of Earl
MIAMI (AP) — A hurricane warning is out for part of the Massachusetts coast including Nantucket as Earl bears down on the Eastern Seaboard. ...Read More
Gulf oil rig explodes off La. coast
GRAND ISLE, La. (AP) — An offshore oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, west of the site of the April blast that caused the massive oil spill. ...Read More
Earl threatens East Coast with weekend pounding
BUXTON, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Earl packed winds near 125 mph as it blew toward North Carolina on Thursday, putting the Eastern Seaboard all the way to Canada on alert for a Labor Day weekend pounding by waves, gales and rain. ...Read More
Gulf oil platform explodes off La. coast
GRAND ISLE, La. (AP) — An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Friday in the Gulf of Mexico about 80 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion. ...Read More
Gulf oil platform explodes, burning off La. coast
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — An offshore petroleum platform exploded and burned Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico off Lousiana, west of the site of BP's massive spill, but no leaks were reported. ...Read More
Embattled Illinois prisons chief resigns
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois' prison chief, who became a political liability to Gov. Pat Quinn during an election year because of a secret prisoner release program he oversaw, is stepping down, the governor said Thursday. ...Read More
Botox maker to pay $600M to resolve investigation
WASHINGTON (AP) — Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug. ...Read More
More NC residents leave coast ahead of Earl
BEAUFORT, N.C. (AP) — More North Carolinians are leaving the coast ahead of Hurricane Earl as it heads toward the Eastern Seaboard. ...Read More
Some dig in, others flee coast as Earl nears US
BUXTON, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Earl blew toward the Eastern Seaboard on Thursday as a major storm with winds of around 145 mph as forecasters tried to pinpoint exactly how close the strongest gales and heaviest surge would get to North Carolina's fragile chain of barrier islands. ...Read More
Gunman's body removed from Discovery building
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Officials say the body of a gunman who was shot to death by police after he took three hostages at Discovery Channel's headquarters has been removed from the building. ...Read More
Earl undergoes change, strong winds extend farther
BUXTON, N.C. (AP) — The head of the National Hurricane Center says the center of Hurricane Earl is undergoing a change and its powerful winds are going to extend farther out from the eyewall. ...Read More
Arrest made after manhunt shuts down Wash. freeway
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — A sheriff's spokeswoman in Washington state says tips from the public helped authorities make an arrest following a search for an armed suspect Wednesday that shut down a busy freeway and disrupted commuter traffic. ...Read More
Police kill gunman who held 3 at Discovery Channel
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — A man who railed against the Discovery Channel's environmental programming for years burst into the company's headquarters with at least one explosive device strapped to his body Wednesday and took three people hostage at gunpoint before police shot him to death, officials said. ...Read More
Island evacuations start as Earl nears East Coast
NAGS HEAD, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Earl steamed toward the Eastern Seaboard early Thursday as communities from North Carolina to New England kept a close eye on the forecast, worried that even a slight shift in the storm's predicted offshore track could put millions of people in the most densely populated part of the country in harm's way. ...Read More
Chicago police chief criticized for 'gang summit'
CHICAGO (AP) — The idea seemed simple though bold: Call reputed gang leaders to a meeting with top police and federal prosecutors and deliver an ultimatum to end killings in the nation's third-largest city. ...Read More
Fired aide to ex-Mo. gov runs for gov's dad's seat
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — It's been three years since Scott Eckersley was fired after asserting that his then-boss, former Gov. Matt Blunt, and others in Blunt's administration should not be deleting certain e-mails because they belonged to the public record. ...Read More
Senate upset erases Alaska seniority
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The defeat of Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski by an upstart fiscal conservative in Alaska's GOP primary could mark a significant shift for a state that has so long relied on federal pork to survive. The outcome was also an unexpected blow to the seniority Alaska has enjoyed in the Senate. ...Read More
McCourt's memory fuzzy at divorce trial
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Frank McCourt had trouble recalling some details involving his purchase of a professional baseball team, but he was certain of one thing: he's the sole owner. ...Read More
Tropical storm warning issued for Long Island
MIAMI (AP) — A tropical storm warning has been issued for New York's Long Island coast as Hurricane Earl barrels toward the Eastern Seaboard. ...Read More
Oil sheen spreading from Gulf platform explosion
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — A mile-long oil sheen spread Thursday from an offshore petroleum platform burning in the Gulf of Mexico off Lousiana, west of the site of BP's massive spill. ...Read More
Chicago gang members criticize 'gang summit'
CHICAGO (AP) — Several current and ex-gang members lashed out at Chicago's police chief on Thursday, calling his so-called "gang summit" initiative to crack down on crime a wasted effort that will have little effect on the streets of the county's third largest city. ...Read More
Mariner Energy shares fall after platform blast
NEW YORK (AP) — Mariner Energy, Inc. shares dropped more than 4 percent Thursday following news that one of its production platforms exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. ...Read More
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