Tropical Storm Barry bears down on Mexico's coast
VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) -- Tropical Storm Barry approached very close to Mexico's Gulf Coast on Thursday as civil defense workers readied emergency shelters and forecasters warned heavy rains could trigger potentially deadly flash floods or mudslides.... 6/20/2013 8:22 AM

Developer: Kan. caverns could preserve human race
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) -- After most of the world's population is wiped off the map by a wayward meteorite or hail of nuclear missiles, the survival of the human race might just depend on a few thousand people huddled in recreational vehicles deep in the bowels of an eastern Kansas mine.... 6/20/2013 7:22 AM

Youth leagues try to rein in 'bad news parents'
BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. (AP) -- No parent here has rushed onto a playing field to jump a referee who made an unpopular call. No adult has gotten angry and slugged or pushed a coach or a young player, as has happened elsewhere. Nor have there been any of those embarrassing sideline brawls you sometimes see posted on online video sites.... 6/20/2013 3:08 AM

House to vote on cuts to crop insurance
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House will vote Thursday on whether to cut federally-subsidized crop insurance that helps farmers when they lose crops or revenue.... 6/20/2013 3:21 AM

Homes evacuated as wildfire flares near Denver
EVERGREEN, Colo. (AP) -- Dozens of homes were evacuated near Denver as a wind-driven wildfire flared, one of many in the western states where hot and windy conditions were making it easy for the wild land blazes to start and spread.... 6/20/2013 4:07 AM

Birth control shots could alter life in poor areas
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A decade ago, the Rosebud Sioux Indians in South Dakota were paying people to catch and shoot wild dogs. Dogs that weren't caught were covered in mange and parasites. Some froze. Some starved. In packs, they survived be eating each other. And dog bites were 20 times worse than the national average.... 6/20/2013 4:43 AM

Obama commits to tough push on global warming
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is planning a major push using executive powers to tackle the pollution blamed for global warming in an effort to make good on promises he made at the start of his second term. "We know we have to do more - and we will do more," Obama said Wednesday in Berlin.... 6/20/2013 8:10 AM

James Gandolfini: He let his characters star
NEW YORK (AP) -- James Gandolfini would have hated all this fuss.... 6/20/2013 3:07 AM

Bulger trial: The hit man of Country Club Lane
MILFORD, Mass. (AP) -- He parks his silver Mercedes-Benz sedan behind his condo, below a deck decorated with white and pink flowers, where a couple of small dogs bark at the few passers-by.... 6/20/2013 4:41 AM

Attorneys meet to discuss Jodi Arias case
PHOENIX (AP) -- Jodi Arias returns to court Thursday for the first time since the penalty phase of her case ended in mistrial last month as lawyers discuss plans for a new trial to decide the punishment for the convicted murderer.... 6/20/2013 4:53 AM