Serial killer police make break in 'major' case

MESA, Arizona (AP) -- Authorities searched an apartment building early Friday and said they had made a break in a major investigation.

Cooler weather on way

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virgina (AP) -- The heat was so intense along the oceanfront that Karen Williams cut short her family's morning visit to return to their hotel room to cool off.

Senate passes sweeping pension bill

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate approved and sent to the White House pension legislation that could give millions of Americans a better chance of getting the retirement benefits they've earned while sparing taxpayers from possibly paying for failed pension plans.

Army: Second son's death was suicide

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- One of two brothers who died while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan committed suicide, family and military officials said Thursday.

Blaze rages in Eskimo village

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A school in a remote Eskimo village caught fire Thursday and the blaze quickly grew out of control, engulfing several homes and buildings and forcing 250 people to flee.

Police: Arizona serial killer strikes again

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- The death of a woman who was gunned down while walking has been linked to a serial killer believed responsible for dozens of random shootings across metropolitan Phoenix, police said Thursday.

Polygamist gets 45 days for sex with teen bride

(Court TV) -- An Arizona judge has sentenced a polygamist to 45 days in county jail for having sex with a teenager he took as his third wife.

Mom charged with starving 42-pound daughter

ST PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) -- A woman and her roommate were charged with starving the woman's 9-year-old daughter, who weighed just 42 pounds when she was found, was locked up all day and was forced to wear a filthy diaper, authorities said.

Top commander: Iraq violence 'as bad as I've seen it'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid, acknowledged Thursday that Iraq could descend into civil war.

Teen's driving lesson: Avoid bees

OSSIAN, Indiana (AP) -- A teenage driver crashed into a hollow tree and stirred up tens of thousands of angry honey bees, creating a swarm that sent her and nine others to the hospital.

Triple-digit torture leaves millions in misery

NEW YORK (AP) -- As if another day of triple-digit temperatures wasn't bad enough, Queens grocer Salm Ali had another problem: a power outage forced him to pitch about $5,000 worth of withered produce.

Poll: Ex-VP nominee Lieberman down by double digits

HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) -- Millionaire businessman Ned Lamont opened a double-digit lead over veteran Sen. Joe Lieberman less than a week before Connecticut's Democratic primary, according to a poll released Thursday.

Light quake rolls San Francisco

GLEN ELLEN, California (AP) -- A magnitude 4.4 earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area Wednesday night, but no injuries or damage were reported.

Tropical Storm Chris 'pretty much a skeleton'

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Tropical Storm Chris weakened slightly as it swept through the eastern Caribbean early Thursday, dumping rain on the Virgin Islands and prompting tourists to flee Puerto Rico's east coast.

U.S. to send 11,000 troops to Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon announced Wednesday that a combat brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will deploy to Afghanistan late this year as part of the next rotation of forces.

Mel Gibson charged with DUI

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Mel Gibson was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor drunken driving, as well as driving with an elevated blood alcohol level and an open container of alcohol in his car, prosecutors said.

Woman, grandson die in Illinois house blast

CARLINVILLE, Illinois (AP) -- A powerful explosion destroyed a house early Wednesday in the south-central Illinois town of Carlinville, killing a woman and her grandson and injuring three other people, officials said.

Accused Marine to sue Murtha, attorneys say

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Marine staff sergeant linked to the killings of civilians in Haditha, Iraq, is suing anti-war Congressman John Murtha for libel, his attorneys announced Wednesday.

Whole lotta shakin' going on in Ohio

MENTOR, Ohio (AP) -- A corner of suburban Cleveland has become the earthquake capital of Ohio, shaking on average every two weeks since New Year's Day and making people wonder: What's next?

East bathes in lots of sweat, some tears

NEW YORK, New York (AP) -- Commuters sweated on their way to work Wednesday as the temperature and humidity started climbing back up to heat wave levels after a night of little relief.