Governor: Big Dig bolts unreliable

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Gov. Mitt Romney said Monday that tests show more than 1,100 bolt assemblies that used epoxy and more than 300 other areas in a Big Dig connector tunnel where the ceiling collapsed are unreliable.

No Fido or Fluffy left behind

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (AP) -- A statewide plan to evacuate pets during hurricanes is being worked out by state and local officials, who are required to map the procedures under a new law enacted to avoid the problems that erupted after Hurricane Katrina struck.

Cities suffer broiling heat

NEW YORK (AP) -- Broiling temperatures in the 90s and beyond gripped large swaths of the country Monday, sending people scrambling for the shade and prompting officials to open air-conditioned buildings and take to the streets to rescue the homeless and elderly.

Spillane, Mike Hammer creator, dies

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (AP) -- Mickey Spillane, the macho mystery writer who wowed millions of readers with the shoot-'em-up sex and violence of gumshoe Mike Hammer, died Monday. He was 88.

Agent: FBI sought terror suspect's help

MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- The FBI initially sought terror suspect Jose Padilla's cooperation to help prevent what intelligence sources indicated might be an imminent al Qaeda attack, an FBI agent testified Monday.

Death in N.Y. building blast ruled suicide

NEW YORK (AP) -- A doctor suspected of blowing up his Manhattan town house to avoid selling it in a divorce settlement died from his severe burns, the medical examiner's office said Monday in declaring his death a suicide.

Sinatra's long-time pianist dies

SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- Bill Miller, the pianist who accompanied singer Frank Sinatra for more than 40 years and played on many of his greatest records, has died at age 91, his daughter said Sunday.

Congress takes up stem cell bills

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress embarks this week on the weightiest of debates on morality and the march of science, deciding whether to use public money for embryonic stem cell research and, in turn, setting up President Bush's first veto.

Astronauts ready for return, watch for rain

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- The space shuttle's six astronauts made final preparations to land Monday, with the chance of showers being the only possible obstacle to their return to Earth within hours.

Fire crews struggling

YUCCA VALLEY, California (AP) -- Fire crews struggled Sunday to quell wildfires still raging across steep, rocky swaths of this desert region, as the harsh terrain slowed efforts to fully contain the blazes that have destroyed 58 homes and scorched more than 120 square miles.

Hooters chairman found dead in home

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (AP) -- Robert Brooks, the chairman of Hooters of America, Inc. who made his fortune selling chicken wings served by scantily clad waitresses, was found dead at his home Sunday, officials said. He was 69.

Three Wyoming students found dead

LARAMIE, Wyoming (AP) -- Three University of Wyoming students were found dead in a home near campus Sunday in what police said appeared to be a triple murder or murder-suicide.

Small plane crashes into houses

HILLSBORO, Oregon (AP) -- A plane participating in an air show crashed into a residential neighborhood near the Hillsboro Airport, setting at least two homes on fire.

America hot from sea to steaming sea

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Temperatures soared into the upper 90s and higher Sunday from coast to coast, bringing out heat warnings, wilting athletes and driving others into the shade.

Doctor suspected in town house explosion dies

NEW YORK (AP) -- The doctor suspected of blowing up his town house rather than allowing his ex-wife to benefit from its sale has died, nearly a week after suffering injuries in the blast, a hospital spokeswoman said Sunday.

Flooding could follow wildfires in California

YUCCA VALLEY, California (CNN) -- Heavy rains are forecast for California's fire-ravaged Yucca Valley on Sunday, a welcome relief for firefighters but the monsoon system could cause massive flooding in the desert area, the National Weather Service and a local police official told CNN Radio.

Boys found starving; adoptive parents charged

LYMAN, South Carolina (AP) -- A couple has been jailed on felony charges after police discovered their three adopted sons were severely malnourished, including a 5-year-old boy who weighed less than 20 pounds.

U.S. plans 'air bridge' out of Lebanon, officials say

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Americans could be evacuated from Lebanon using an "air bridge" of fast-moving aircraft, U.S. military officials said Saturday.

Wildfire teams fear disastrous weather

YUCCA VALLEY, California (AP) -- Firefighters battling a merged pair of wildfires feared the blaze could create disastrous weather Saturday and hinder progress in blocking the fire from reaching the populated San Bernardino Mountains in California.

Bank robbers launder money ... literally, officials say

NEW YORK (AP) -- When two men laundered the money they nabbed in a bank robbery, authorities said, they took the literal approach.