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.... 5/22/2013 5:29 PM

$2B in Okla. tornado damage means hard recovery
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- All that is left of Shayne Patterson's three-bedroom home is the tiny area where his wife hunkered down under a mattress to protect their three children when a tornado packing winds of at least 200 mph slammed through his neighborhood.... 5/23/2013 3:13 AM

Birth control coverage up for federal appeal
DENVER (AP) -- Contraception coverage by for-profit companies faces a prominent test in Denver.... 5/23/2013 3:49 AM

Nixon library hosts 40th reunion for Vietnam POWs
YORBA LINDA, Calif. (AP) -- Two hundred American former prisoners of war who were taken captive during the Vietnam War are arriving in Southern California to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their release.... 5/23/2013 3:43 AM

Youngest Okla. tornado victims remembered by kin
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- Nine-year-old Sydney Angle was "everywhere at once" when she was out on the softball field. Kyle Davis, 8, was nicknamed "The Wall" because of his size and presence on the soccer field. JaNae Hornsby, also 9, was the life of the party.... 5/23/2013 3:34 AM

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.... 5/22/2013 8:49 PM

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.... 5/23/2013 12:20 AM

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.... 5/23/2013 12:21 AM

Bronx 'ghetto' tours stop amid residents' outrage
NEW YORK (AP) -- A company that promised sightseer tours to the Bronx that included a New York City "ghetto" has stopped the bus rides under fire from an outraged neighborhood.... 5/23/2013 3:41 AM

Obama to push for transparency in face of threats
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Amid lingering concerns about his national security policies, President Barack Obama is outlining measures to clarify the deadly use of drones against terror suspects, make good on a pledge to close the controversial prison at Guantanamo Bay and warn Americans about dire threats they continue to face - even from fellow citizens.... 5/23/2013 3:18 AM