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.