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Nation Briefs: College holds memorial for 7 shooting victims

CALIFORNIA

College holds memorial for 7 shooting victims

OAKLAND | The founder of an Oakland college where a gunman went on a deadly shooting rampage says the school's been encouraged by an outpouring of support from around the world.

Jongjin Kim spoke Tuesday at a memorial service held outside Oikos ...

Deadly fire sparks warehouse probe

PHILADELPHIA | Officials promised on Tuesday to conduct a careful review of dozens of other large buildings across the city and look into whether criminal charges are warranted as fire marshals search for the cause of a blaze at a vacant warehouse that killed two firefighters.

The fire broke out ...

Teacher fired for pregnancy goes to court

ATLANTA — After fourth-grade teacher Jarretta Hamilton went to the principal of her Christian school with the news she was pregnant, he responded: You're fired.

Her lawsuit against the school came before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, and the three-judge panel is wrestling with its decision.

...

Exports of coal surge to highest level since 1991

BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. coal exports reached their highest level in two decades last year as strong demand from Asia and Europe offered an outlet for a fuel that is falling from favor at home.

U.S. Department of Energy data analyzed by the Associated Press reveal that coal exports topped ...

Zimmerman's lawyers withdraw from shooting case

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — Two attorneys for the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin said Tuesday that they have withdrawn as his counsel because they haven't heard from him in days and he is taking actions related to the case without consulting them.

Attorney Craig Sonner ...

Zimmerman puts up website to get out his side of story

George Zimmerman has launched a website to solicit support and donations, speaking out for the first time since his February shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Florida ignited a national outcry on race and justice.

Mr. Zimmerman, who has claimed self-defense in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, says ...

John Edwards gambles on N.C. jury to avoid prison

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — As a young personal-injury lawyer in North Carolina, John Edwards earned a reputation for turning down multimillion-dollar settlement offers on bets that jurors would award his clients more money at the end of a trial.

"The twelve souls who spend full days, full weeks, or sometimes ...

Attorney: Zimmerman defense fund website is real

ORLANDO, Fla. — An attorney for George Zimmerman on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of a new website that allows supporters to donate money for the neighborhood watch volunteer who has admitted to fatally shooting an unarmed black teen in Florida.

All the money raised from the site, therealgeorgezimmerman.com, will go ...

Ariz. ethics panel says ex-prosecutor broke rules

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona ethics panel on Tuesday moved to disbar Maricopa County's former top prosecutor for failed corruption investigations he and America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff conducted, targeting officials with whom they were having political and legal disputes.

The three-member panel found that former County Attorney Andrew Thomas violated ...

Jury being seated in Hudson family murder trial

CHICAGO (AP) — The final four jurors were to be selected Tuesday for the trial of the man accused of killing three members of actress-singer Jennifer Hudson's family.

Fourteen people were selected Monday to be among the 12 jurors and six alternates after nine hours of interviewing potential jurors one ...

Calif. finds toxins in 'non-toxic' nail polishes

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Some nail polishes commonly found in California salons and advertised as free of a so-called "toxic trio" of chemicals actually have high levels of agents known to cause birth defects, according to state chemical regulators.

A Department of Toxic Substances Control report to be released Tuesday ...

Miss Universe pageant allowing transgender women

NEW YORK — Transgender women will be allowed to participate in the Miss Universe beauty pageant next year, officials announced Tuesday, a week after they ruled a trail-blazing 23-year-old could vie for the crown this year.

Pageant officials said they are working on the language of the official rule policy ...

Documents: 2 suspects confessed in Tulsa shootings

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — The two suspects arrested in a shooting rampage that terrorized Tulsa's black community and left three people dead have confessed, according to police documents given to the Associated Press.

The documents given to the AP on Monday say 19-year-old Jake England confessed to shooting three people ...

Plunging birthrate of U.S. teens 'amazing'

In 16 states, teen birthrates tumbled by at least 20 percent in recent years, the federal government said in a report. Large declines such as these helped push the nation's teen birthrate to a new low in 2010.

It's a "pretty amazing" set of trends, said Brady E. Hamilton, senior ...

$9M bond set for Tulsa suspects

TULSA, Okla. — Two Oklahoma men suspected in a shooting rampage that left three people dead and terrorized Tulsa's black community appeared in court Monday and had bond set at more than $9 million each.

Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, appeared via closed-circuit television from jail. Both are ...

Trayvon killing case will not have grand jury

ORLANDO, Fla. — A grand jury will not look into the Trayvon Martin case, a special prosecutor said Monday, leaving the decision of whether to charge the teen's shooter in her hands alone and eliminating the possibility of a first-degree murder charge in a racially charged case that has garnered ...

Warehouse fire claims 2 firefighters

PHILADELPHIA — Two firefighters who were battling a massive blaze at an abandoned warehouse Monday were killed when an adjacent furniture store they were inspecting collapsed, burying them in a pile of debris, authorities said.

It took about two hours to extract the bodies of Lt. Robert Neary, 60, and ...

American Scene: Wave of bomb threats leaves campus on edge

PITTSBURGH — Dozens of bomb threats at the University of Pittsburgh, including at least four Monday, have prompted professors to start holding classes outside and forced security officials to implement new building access measures.

The threats began in mid-February, at first targeting a landmark building at the center of campus. ...

Report: Fungus tied to bat deaths came from Europe

LOS ANGELES — The mysterious deaths of millions of bats in the United States and Canada over the past several years were caused by a fungus that hitchhiked from Europe, scientists reported Monday.

Experts had suspected that an invasive species was to blame for the die-off from "white nose syndrome." ...

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