School storm protection is spotty in tornado zones
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- With its single-story design and cinder-block walls, Plaza Towers Elementary School may have seemed sturdy when it was built a couple of generations ago. But a powerful tornado revealed the building's lack of modern safety standards, destroying the school and killing seven students....

Okla. tornado damage: Thousands of homes, $1.5-$2B
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- The tornado that struck an Oklahoma City suburb this week may have created $2 billion or more in damage as it tore through as many as 13,000 homes, multiple schools and a hospital, officials said Wednesday as they gave the first detailed account of the devastation....

3rd grader who loved to sing among tornado victims
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- Nicknamed "The Wall," 8-year-old Kyle Davis loved soccer and going to Monster Truck exhibitions at the fairgrounds with his grandfather. JaNae Hornsby, 9, loved to draw, sing, and be a big sister and cousin to her younger relatives....

Man shot to death while questioned in Boston probe
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A Chechen immigrant was shot to death by authorities in central Florida early Wednesday after he turned violent while being questioned about his ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, officials said....

Nearly all US states see hefty drop in teen births
NEW YORK (AP) -- The nation's record-low teen birth rate stems from robust declines in nearly every state, but most dramatically in several Mountain States and among Hispanics, according to a new government report....

Urban renewal? Big US cities showing strong growth
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Urban renewal? New census estimates show that most of the nation's largest cities further enhanced their allure last year, posting strong population growth for a second straight year....

4 Americans killed since 2009 in US drone strikes
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen since 2009. The disclosure to Congress comes on the eve of a major national security speech by President Barack Obama in which he plans to pledge more transparency to Congress in his counterterrorism policy....

Broke no laws, IRS official says _ then takes 5th
WASHINGTON (AP) -- At the center of a political storm, an Internal Revenue Service supervisor whose agents targeted conservative groups swore Wednesday she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress. Then she refused to answer lawmakers' further questions, citing her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself....

37-year-old man charged in Wash. state ricin scare
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- A man was arrested Wednesday in a case involving last week's discovery of a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin....

Minn. teen whose farewell song became web hit dies
LAKELAND, Minn. (AP) -- When high school student Zach Sobiech learned he didn't have much longer to live, his mother suggested he write letters to tell his loved ones goodbye. Instead, the Minnesota teenager turned to writing music - and his farewell song, "Clouds," became a YouTube sensation that has attracted more than 4 million views....