 State patrols struggle with big gas bills
 Associated Press
Col. Paul Grimstad, head of Montana's Highway Patrol fills up his cruiser in Helena, Montana. With gas prices soaring, state police agencies nationwide are scrambling to find the money to cover costs — in some cases looking to downsize to smaller-engine cars or even motorcycles.
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South Texas begins cleanup after Hurricane Dolly
HARLINGEN, Texas, 6:06 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Residents across south Texas slogged through knee-deep muddy waters, tiptoed around downed power lines and dug through debris Thursday, but were thankful that Hurricane Dolly didn't pack the wallop they had feared.
Downed power lines remained the greatest danger, and South Texas officials urged people to stay home one more day “unless it's life or death.” One person in Matamoros, Mexico, died from electrocution after walking past a power line on the ground.
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MIAMI, 8:11 p.m. July 24 (AP)
911 calls released in case of missing Orlando girl: The grandmother of a missing 2-year-old Orlando girl told an emergency dispatcher that a car driven by the girl's mother smelled like there had been a dead body inside, according to recordings of 911 calls released Thursday.
TRENTON, N.J., 8:05 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Lawmakers: NJ legislator focus of child porn probe: Authorities are investigating whether a veteran state lawmaker possessed child pornography on his office computer, two assemblymen who share an office with him said Thursday.
PHOENIX, 8:02 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Arrest made in Phoenix community college shooting: A man shot three people Thursday in a computer room at a Phoenix community college, injuring two of them critically, authorities said. The gunman fled but a suspect was arrested nearby.
BENNETT, Colo., 7:40 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Prosecutor: Escaped convict, wife, daughter slain: A convicted spammer and his wife, who were being sought after she helped him escape prison, were found slain along with their young daughter Thursday in an apparent murder-suicide, authorities said.
CHICAGO, 7:25 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Reputed mobster Frank 'The German' Schweihs dies: Frank “The German” Schweihs, reputedly one of Chicago's most feared mob enforcers, has died while awaiting trial on charges he took part in a conspiracy that included numerous organized crime murders.
JARRATT, Va., 7:22 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Va. executes killer who challenged injections: A killer who argued Virginia's procedures for lethal injection were unconstitutional was executed Thursday after a federal appeals court upheld the primary method of capital punishment in the nation's second-busiest death chamber.
FORT WORTH, Texas, 7:15 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Teen gets 8 years for coaxing nephews to smoke pot: A teenager shown on a video coaxing his 2- and 4-year-old nephews into smoking marijuana was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison.
DEERFIELD, N.H., 7:06 p.m. July 24 (AP)
1 dead in NH storms that leveled several homes: Violent storms on Thursday in a 25-mile-long swath of central New Hampshire destroyed several homes, damaged dozens of others and left at least one person dead, authorities said as police and firefighters went door-to-door searching for more possible victims.
NEW YORK, 7:06 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Creators of Scrabble knockoff on Facebook sued: T-R-O-U-B-L-E could loom for a Scrabble knockoff that has become one of the most popular activities on Facebook.
NEW YORK, 6:54 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Iran widow must go to trial in NY on terror charge: A naturalized U.S. citizen accused of helping to lead an Iranian terrorist group must face trial on a charge of providing material support to terrorism, a federal judge ruled Thursday.
CHICAGO, 6:33 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Paralyzed man says Chicago cops dragged, beat him: A paralyzed man claimed in a lawsuit Thursday that seven Chicago police officers dragged him from a car and beat him unconscious when he was too slow to obey their order to get out of the vehicle.
NEW ORLEANS, 6:23 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Miss. River spill idles ships near New Orleans: Dozens of cargo ships, petrochemical tankers and smaller vessels stacked up Thursday near a closed stretch of the Mississippi River, a day after a collision between a barge and tanker spilled more than 400,000 gallons of fuel oil into the nation's busy shipping waterway.
PRICE, Utah, 6:17 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Feds say Utah mine operator courted danger: The operator of a collapsed Utah mine violated safety protocols by cutting coal pillars that should have been left standing to prevent cave-ins, federal regulators said Thursday.
NEW YORK, 5:04 p.m. July 24 (AP)
NYPD, Port Authority agree on WTC security plan: Police and the World Trade Center site's owner sketched out a security agreement Thursday that settles a turf war over who will protect ground zero against terrorism as the Lower Manhattan site is rebuilt.
WACO, Texas, 4:55 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Baylor University fires school president: Baylor University regents on Thursday fired the school president, the second in three years to leave amid clashes with the faculty at the world's largest Baptist university.
TERRELL, N.C., 4:53 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Deputies intercept text message to capture suspect: After catching one of two people wanted in a series of break-ins, deputies in North Carolina let their fingers do the chasing to catch a second suspect.
SEATTLE, 4:12 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Judge opens some conserved land to grazing, haying: A judge allowed hay production and cattle grazing on certain lands designated for conservation Thursday, helping farmers and ranchers struggling with high grain prices.
4:12 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Another courtroom victory for religious colleges: A federal appeals court ruling that a Christian university in Colorado can receive state scholarship money is the latest in a string of legal victories for religious schools seeking public dollars.
MIAMI, 3:59 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Ark. man accused in 4 boat deaths pleads guilty: One of two men accused of killing four people aboard a fishing charter last year pleaded guilty Thursday in exchange for an agreement that prosecutors will not seek the death penalty.
PITTSBURGH, 3:47 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Mom accused of poisoning son sent to Pa. hospital: A mother accused of repeatedly injecting her 4-month-old son with salt water will be sent to a state mental hospital after a psychiatrist testified Thursday that the woman is severely depressed.
ST. LOUIS, 3:38 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Agribusiness heavies form biofuels lobbying group: The argument over using crops to make biofuels is about to get a little louder, courtesy of a new group formed by some of the biggest agribusiness companies in the world.
ALBANY, N.Y., 3:33 p.m. July 24 (AP)
4 Spitzer appointees accused of ethics violations: Three former aides to ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the former head of the state police were charged with ethics violations Thursday over travel records released to discredit a political rival, a scandal that consumed Spitzer's administration before it was wrecked by another involving a prostitute.
BOISE, Idaho, 3:16 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Judge: Idaho child-killer is mentally competent: Convicted child-killer Joseph Edward Duncan III is mentally competent to face a death penalty hearing, a federal judge in Idaho ruled Thursday.
NEW YORK, 2:58 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Ex-con gets life in prison for NY student torture: An ex-convict was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for the sadistic, 19-hour rape and torture of a Columbia University graduate student.
PITTSBURGH, 2:45 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Woman accused in baby snatching is ruled competent: The suspect accused of cutting a baby from his mother's womb was found mentally competent by a judge Thursday to assist in her defense, despite a psychiatrist's testimony that she is a paranoid schizophrenic.
OKLAHOMA CITY, 2:14 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Okla. crane fall kills man watching construction: Church members watching the steeple being raised on their new building looked on in horror Thursday as a crane holding the structure toppled, crushing a car and killing a 79-year-old man who had been watching from inside the vehicle, firefighters said.
WASHINGTON, 12:39 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Memo: 'Good faith' protects against torture charge: The Justice Department in 2002 told the CIA that its interrogators would be safe from prosecution for violations of anti-torture laws if they believed “in good faith” that harsh techniques used to break prisoners' will would not cause “prolonged mental harm.”
NEW YORK, 12:30 p.m. July 24 (AP)
AP told 3 bidders make final cut to buy Cubs: Tribune Co. is inviting at least three potential buyers who each submitted bids for the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field near or above $1 billion to participate in a second round of proposals, according to a person involved in the process.
WASHINGTON, 12:27 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Satellite radio companies to pay $19.7 million: Approval of a merger of the nation's only two satellite radio companies was imminent Thursday after the pair agreed to pay $19.7 million to settle charges they violated federal rules.
WASHINGTON, 12:26 p.m. July 24 (AP)
House leaders double up on ethics watchdogs: House leaders on Thursday announced the six members and two alternates who will make up the Office of Congressional Ethics, an outside independent group created to restore integrity to a flawed ethics process.
CHICAGO, 5:20 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Reports of wire taps emerge in Drew Peterson case: Two friends of former police officer Drew Peterson told a newspaper he made incriminating statements during secretly taped conversations following the disappearance of his fourth wife – claims that Peterson denies.
MINNEAPOLIS, 3:24 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Police see communication key to convention peace: Borrowing from a European model, Minneapolis and St. Paul police hope to quell any disruptions at this summer's Republican National Convention by exchanging cell phone numbers and offering other olive branches to demonstrators.
PORTLAND, Ore., 3:03 a.m. July 24 (AP)
In Portland, parking laws include police: Portland police are not above the parking laws, even if they're hungry. Officer Chadd Stensgaard, who parked his patrol car illegally while making a dinner-break stop at a Japanese restaurant, must pay a $35 fine, Traffic Court Judge Terry Hannon ruled Wednesday.
SAN FRANCISCO, 1:51 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Killings turn focus on San Francisco sanctuary law: The scene repeats itself daily on city streets: a driver gets stuck bumper to bumper, blocking an intersection and preventing another car from turning left.
SALEM, Ore., 1:20 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Western governors offer greenhouse emissions plan: Seven Western states are joining four Canadian provinces to propose a plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions through use of a “cap and trade” system.
WASHINGTON, 2:34 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Minimum wage going up, little help as costs soar: About 2 million Americans get a raise Thursday as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up, and some small businesses will pass the cost of the wage hike to consumers.
NEW YORK, 8:07 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Church surrenders lot near ground zero for $20M: The World Trade Center site's owner has offered $20 million to acquire the 1,200-square-foot lot of a church destroyed on Sept. 11, freeing one more piece of land needed to rebuild every inch of ground zero.
HONOLULU, 8:03 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Air Force says no survivors of B-52 crash off Guam: All six crew members aboard a B-52 bomber that crashed off Guam were killed, the Air Force said Wednesday as the search effort shifted focus from rescue to recovery of the crew and pieces of the wreckage.
QUINCY, Wash., 7:28 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Huge brush fire subsides in central Washington: An evacuation order for up to 300 people was lifted Wednesday as more firefighters were put to work on a wind-driven wildfire fueled by sagebrush in central Washington, officials said.
NEW YORK, 7:16 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Bubble burst? Off-Broadway show's suds stolen: The bubble might have burst for off-Broadway's “Gazillion Bubbles Show.” Someone has stolen the show's specialized soapy bubble solution, which takes two months to make.
DALLAS, 7:01 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Detective who helped arrest Oswald dead at 87: Dallas police Detective Paul Bentley, who helped arrest presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald at the Texas Theater, had a ready retort for those who didn't accept the official story that Oswald acted alone.
NEW ORLEANS, 6:43 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Ship-barge crash closes Mississippi at New Orleans: A stretch of the Mississippi River at New Orleans could be closed for days as crews clean a 12-mile oil slick caused Wednesday when a tanker and barge collided, officials said.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas, 6:39 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Convicted killers in Texas, Miss., put to death: Texas executed a man Wednesday who was convicted of killing a woman and her child, while Mississippi put to death a man who took part in the fatal beating of another man.
DALLAS, 6:31 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Only 2 Texas high schoolers positive for steroids: The nation's largest steroids testing program caught only two Texas high school athletes taking unauthorized substances out of more than 10,000 students who were tested, according to results issued Wednesday.
OLATHE, Kan., 5:58 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Kansas man pleads guilty in teen's kidnap-slaying: A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to snatching an 18-year-old from a store parking lot, raping her and strangling her with her own belt before dumping her body in a park.
TAUNTON, Mass., 5:48 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Mass. woman kills self before home foreclosure: A 53-year-old wife and mother fatally shot herself shortly after faxing a letter to her mortgage company saying that by the time they foreclosed on her house that day, she would be dead.
OKLAHOMA CITY, 5:31 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Anti-gay Okla. lawmaker caught with gun at Capitol: A state lawmaker who gained national notoriety with an anti-homosexual rant was stopped from entering the state Capitol Wednesday when she was found to have a loaded handgun in her purse, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.
AKRON, Ohio, 5:08 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Ohio woman gets 5 years in $8M armored-car heist: A woman who helped her boyfriend steal about $8 million from an armored car company was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.
PITTSBURGH, 4:56 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Pennsylvania infant cut from womb leaves hospital: The baby cut from a slain woman's womb last week was released from the hospital Wednesday as a defense attorney said the woman accused of the crime intends to plead not guilty.
DETROIT, 4:31 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Toyota outsells GM worldwide in first half: General Motors Corp., pummeled by falling U.S. sales and high gas prices, lost the global sales lead to Toyota Motor Corp. in the first half of this year, but the churning market makes it difficult to predict which automaker will end the year on top.
ALBEMARLE, N.C., 4:27 p.m. July 23 (AP)
NC police warned about woman with 5 dead spouses: A former police officer and a neighbor said Wednesday that a Georgia grandmother who now has five dead spouses tried to hire them to kill her fourth husband more than two decades ago.
CHICAGO, 3:50 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Chicago cop accused of shaking down tow operators: A police officer was arrested Wednesday on federal charges of shaking down tow truck operators for payoffs of up to $400 per vehicle in exchange for steering towing business to them.
HARTFORD, Conn., 3:35 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Suspect in girlfriend's killing found dead in cell: A man charged with murdering his pregnant girlfriend in front of their two children killed himself in his jail cell, a state prison official said Wednesday.
MIAMI, 2:47 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Unknown disease killing off Florida's state tree: The sabal palm, Florida's state tree, is under attack by a microscopic killer that has scientists stumped.
FRANKFORT, Ky., 2:46 p.m. July 23 (AP)
New policy lowers flags only for Ky. soldiers: Kentucky has started lowering flags to half-staff only for fallen soldiers from the Bluegrass State, upsetting veterans and lawmakers who say the policy dishonors tens of thousands of service members from other states stationed at installations such as Fort Campbell and Fort Knox.
NEW YORK, 2:34 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Gates, Bloomberg pool riches to fight smoking: Microsoft founder Bill Gates and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are pooling their piles of money to pour $375 million into a global effort to cut smoking.
2:25 p.m. July 23 (AP)
Judge to Moussaoui jury: You got it right: McLEAN, Va. – The judge in the trial of convicted Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui says she told jurors that they made the right decision in sparing his life.
NEW YORK, 12:55 p.m. July 23 (AP)
New York Times to raise newsstand price to $1.50: The New York Times Co. will increase the Monday-Saturday newsstand cost of its flagship paper by 25 cents to $1.50, the publisher said Wednesday.
NEW ORLEANS, 12:08 p.m. July 23 (AP)
FEMA seeks immunity from suits over trailer fumes: The Federal Emergency Management Agency asked a federal judge Wednesday for immunity from lawsuits over potentially dangerous fumes in government-issued trailers that have housed tens of thousands of Gulf Coast hurricane victims.
ALBANY, N.Y., 10:07 a.m. July 23 (AP)
NY prohibits smoking in addiction recovery centers: Many drug addicts, problem gamblers and alcoholics may find it harder to kick their habits in New York now that the state has become the first in the country to ban smoking at all recovery centers.
ELDORADO, Texas, 8:29 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Texas grand jury indicts polygamist sect members: Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs, already convicted in Utah of rape as an accomplice and awaiting trial in Arizona on other charges related to underage marriages, is now accused of assaulting a girl in Texas in January 2005.
HOUSTON, 6:24 a.m. July 23 (REUTERS)
Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, shut due to Dolly: The Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, through which three refineries are supplied with crude oil, was shut due to heavy weather from Hurricane Dolly, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday morning.
5:56 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Bush drops opposition to housing bill: WASHINGTON –President Bush has dropped his opposition to legislation that aims to calm the chaotic housing market despite his opposition to a $3.9 billion provision, the White House said Wednesday.
HOUSTON, 5:49 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Man who squeezed out of jail nabbed in hotel pool: Police in Houston say a murder suspect who lost weight so he could escape from jail by squeezing through a vent has been caught taking a dip in a motel swimming pool.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., 3:51 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Tourism travails: summer fun faces uncertain times: The sign outside the Aquarius motel reads: “Spend a night, Not a paycheck,” but some Midwest travelers have canceled reservations and other visitors stay fewer nights. On the nation's opposite coast, vacationers in Oregon worried about $4 gas splurge less on meals and skip the frills on getaways.
HARRISBURG, Pa., 2:40 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Penn. lawmakers urged to use sex-offender tracking: Pennsylvania's auditor general wants his state to join the estimated two dozen others that track some released sex offenders with global positioning satellite technology.
HOUSTON, 2:39 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Researcher says Gulf dead zone bigger than ever: A “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas-Louisiana coast this year is likely to be the biggest ever and last longer than ever before, with marine life affected for hundreds of miles, a scientist warned.
TRENTON, N.J., 2:10 a.m. July 23 (AP)
New Jersey to require organ donation decision: In five years, New Jersey residents seeking driver's licenses will have to decide whether they want to become organ donors under a new first-of-its kind law.
CHARLESTON, W.Va., 1:00 a.m. July 23 (AP)
Effects linger from last summer's drought in W.Va.: First, there was last summer's drought. Then came more bad news: skyrocketing fuel and fertilizer prices, and a wet spring that delayed West Virginia farmers' plantings and hay harvests.
NEW YORK, 12:14 a.m. July 23 (AP)
NYC services to be offered in 6 foreign languages: This polyglot city is making it official: Agencies will offer services in six of the most common foreign languages spoken – Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Italian and French Creole.
MOYOCK, N.C., 3:04 p.m. July 22 (AP)Blackwater looks to rebuild name on other fronts: The world over, guns for hire are known as “Blackwater guys” – and that's the reason Blackwater Worldwide wants to move beyond the business of private security contracting. WASHINGTON, 2:11 p.m. July 22 (AP)
Bush says Wall Street has hangover, must sober up: President Bush, in an unguarded moment, said Wall Street “got drunk and now it's got a hangover.”
