National News: General - Las Vegas Sun

Associated Press: National News: General

39 minutes ago

(AP) A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter has crashed in waters five miles south of Honolulu, and officials say three crewmembers have been recovered and one remains missing. Officials aren't releasing the recovered crewmembers' conditions.A Guard spokesman says the helicopter crashed at 8:15 p.m. Thursday while the helicopter's crew was conducting search ...

Montana motorcyclist dies in 239 mph crash

1 hour, 30 minutes ago

(AP) A 47-year-old record-setting motorcycle racer from Montana has died when he lost control and crashed while traveling at 239 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats.Investigators weren't sure what caused Cliff Gullett, of Bozeman, Mont., to lose control of the motorcycle Wednesday during a time trial.The American Motorcyclist Association said on ...

Southeast states brace for Tropical Storm Hanna

2 hours, 18 minutes ago

(AP) Tropical storm watches or warnings were extended to areas just south of New York City on Friday as states along the Atlantic braced for Tropical Storm Hanna.And forecasters said Hanna could still become a hurricane before its expected arrival on U.S. shores after roaring past the edge of the Bahamas ...

Gunman's rampage shows pitfalls for mentally ill

2 hours, 18 minutes ago

(AP) Isaac Zamora's mother begged him to get help when he was released from jail a month ago. State and federal laws prevented her from doing much more for the man who has now been arrested after a shooting spree in rural northwest Washington that left six people dead and four ...

Ask AP: Maximum heat, oil wells set on fire

2 hours, 45 minutes ago

(AP) You may have experienced the feeling on a steamy summer day: Nowhere in the universe could possibly be hotter than this.Think again. Scientists have used high-tech equipment to generate temperatures in the billions of degrees _ that's billions with a "b" _ and they can contemplate temperatures that leave that ...

Southeast states braces for Tropical Storm Hanna

2 hours, 45 minutes ago

San Francisco delays rollout of ID card program

3 hours, 9 minutes ago

(AP) San Francisco is delaying a controversial program that would provide identification cards to all residents regardless of legal status.Mayor Gavin Newsom requested last month that the ID card plan _ closely watched by other cities considering similar initiatives _ be suspended "until a thorough review has been completed," according to ...

Texas UPS driver goes 1 million miles, no crashes

3 hours, 9 minutes ago

(AP) A routine package delivery turned into a milestone for a UPS driver in East Texas.Brent Boyd on Thursday surpassed 1 million miles on his UPS delivery van, the same vehicle he's driven for 22 years with the company.The odometer on Boyd's 1987 GMC truck rolled over to all zeros as ...

Hurricane Ike weakens to Category 3 storm

3 hours, 33 minutes ago

(AP) The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Ike has weakened to a Category 3 storm in the Atlantic.Ike's maximum sustained winds have dropped to near 125 mph as of 5 a.m. EDT Friday. And the hurricane center says more weakening is expected during the next day or two.But forecasters say Hurricane ...

Detroit mayor, soon off to jail, talks of comeback

3 hours, 57 minutes ago

(AP) Only hours after agreeing to resign and serve time in jail as part of plea deal, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick expressed regret for the scandal that has engulfed the city _ and left the door open for a return to public life.Kilpatrick walked into a City Hall conference room Thursday to ...

Remains of 3 sailors from Pearl Harbor identified

4 hours, 27 minutes ago

(AP) Two-thirds of a century ago, Kathleen Wyman drove her brother to California to join the Navy. From there, he shipped out to the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor.He never came home.Ensign Eldon Wyman was 24 when he died in the Japanese attack of Dec. 7, 1941. Along with hundreds of ...

Philly school rekindles same-sex education debate

4 hours, 51 minutes ago

(AP) Calling all ninth-grade boys! Raise your hand if this school sounds like fun: wearing jackets and ties every day, staying until 5 p.m., learning Latin and _ to top it all off _ no girls.Who's in?Turns out, about 270 boys. And 100 more are on a waiting list.Boys' Latin of ...

Detroit mayor pleads guilty in sex scandal, quits

5 hours, 15 minutes ago

(AP) Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was bounced from office Thursday in a deal with prosecutors that will send him to jail and put an end to the sex scandal that embarrassed this chronically struggling city and preoccupied its government for months.The 38-year-old "Hip-Hop Mayor" who brought energy and excitement to City Hall ...

Southeast braces for Hanna as Ike strengthens

6 hours, 6 minutes ago

(AP) Some Southeastern states declared emergencies and officials urged residents to head inland Thursday as Tropical Storm Hanna headed toward the Atlantic coast, where it could bring high winds and rain from South Carolina to Maine.Meanwhile, disaster planners eyed ferocious-looking Hurricane Ike strengthening in the Atlantic. And with power outages and ...

FEMA to cover hotel costs for some Gustav evacuees

9 hours, 6 minutes ago

(AP) Victims of Hurricane Gustav who can't return to their homes over the next month because of storm damage or power outages can have their hotel costs covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, officials said Thursday.Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Wednesday that some evacuees' hotel bills would be paid ...