Fireworks explosion on NC island kills 1, hurts 4
OCRACOKE, N.C. (AP) -- Authorities say a fireworks explosion on a North Carolina island only reachable by ferry has killed one worker and critically injured four others....

SC serial killer conjures memory of 60s murderer
GAFFNEY, S.C. (AP) -- A terrified rural South Carolina community hunkered down over the Fourth of July after the sheriff said a serial killer was on the loose, and longtime residents were reminded of a murderer who terrorized the town in the 1960s....

Calif. bullet train hits criticism on SF Peninsula
MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) -- Last November, more than 60 percent of voters on the San Francisco Peninsula supported a $9.9 billion bond measure to help pay for a high-speed rail line between San Francisco and the Los Angeles area....

Palin resignation leaves questions on 2012 run
WASILLA, Alaska (AP) -- Even for a nonconformist, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has defied political logic with her sudden, stunning announcement to leave office more than a year early....

Powerful sedative found in Michael Jackson's home
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Questions about Michael Jackson's use of prescription drugs are intensifying after a powerful sedative was found inside his home....

Texas brewer, once near defeat, shines again
SHINER, Texas (AP) -- By all accounts, Shiner beer shouldn't have made it this long. The Spoetzl Brewery ferments its brew in a one-stoplight town that's not on the way to anywhere, and much larger regional brewers long ago succumbed to consolidation and the muscle of national brewers....

Jackson kids face hurdles to coping with his death
CHICAGO (AP) -- No matter how unusual their lives may have been so far, Michael Jackson's children now face a universal trauma felt by all kids who suddenly lose a parent....

Jackson was loving and attentive father, many say
NEW YORK (AP) -- When Rabbi Shmuley Boteach brought his children to play with Michael Jackson's kids at Neverland Ranch some eight years ago, the rabbi's youngsters naturally made a beeline for the fabulous rides - the Ferris wheel, the roller coaster, the bumper cars....

Calif. regulators warn of pot's cancer capability
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- It might take Californians a puff or two to get their heads around an apparent contradiction recently enshrined in state law. The same marijuana smoke that doctors can recommend to ease cancer patients' suffering must soon come with a warning saying it causes the disease....

Police: Arizona woman led sons on crime spree
PHOENIX (AP) -- Cynthia Mary Roberson is an unemployed mother who police say led her 12- and 14-year-old sons and their friends to commit at least 20 armed robberies and assaults, including the beating of a teenage boy who had nothing more than an orange lollipop....