2 fires north of LA persist after long fire week
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) -- A pair of persistent wildfires continued to burn in the hills and mountains around Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles on Saturday, although authorities were slowly getting the upper hand.... 5/18/2013 5:33 PM

Last-minute fortune seekers buy Powerball tickets
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- It's all about the odds.... 5/18/2013 2:55 PM

Up to 60 injured after car drives into Va. parade
DAMASCUS, Va. (AP) -- About 50 to 60 people were injured Saturday when a driver described by witnesses as an elderly man drove his car into a group of hikers marching in a parade in a small Virginia mountain town.... 5/18/2013 5:43 PM

Official: `Amazing' no one died in train crash
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) -- Officials described a devastating scene of shattered cars and other damage where two trains packed with rush-hour commuters collided in Connecticut, saying Saturday it's fortunate that no one was killed and that there weren't even more injuries.... 5/18/2013 4:36 PM

FBI searches apartment in ricin letter case
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Authorities in hazardous materials suits searched a downtown Spokane apartment Saturday, investigating the recent discovery of a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin.... 5/18/2013 4:26 PM

Victims: Marines failed to safeguard water supply
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) -- A simple test could have alerted officials that the drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated, long before authorities determined that as many as a million Marines and their families were exposed to a witch's brew of cancer-causing chemicals.... 5/18/2013 9:51 AM

Suspect identified in fatal Hofstra home invasion
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- A wanted man with a criminal history dating back nearly 15 years was identified by police Saturday as the masked home invader involved in the death of a Hofstra University student early Friday morning.... 5/18/2013 4:38 PM

Will Boy Scouts accept gay youth? Vote is imminent
With its ranks deeply divided, the Boy Scouts of America is asking its local leaders from across the country to decide whether its contentious membership policy should be overhauled so that openly gay boys can participate in Scout units.... 5/18/2013 10:22 AM

OJ's ex-lawyer contradicts his testimony on guns
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- O.J. Simpson's former lawyer defended himself point-by-point Friday against allegations he botched the former football star's armed-robbery trial, after giving damaging testimony that Simpson actually knew his buddies had guns when they went to a hotel room together to reclaim some sports memorabilia.... 5/18/2013 3:26 AM

Obama's Morehouse visit shines spotlight on HBCUs
ATLANTA (AP) -- When President Barack Obama addresses graduates at Morehouse College on Sunday, he'll also be speaking to the broader community of historically black colleges and universities - a proud corner of higher education that has struggled more than most during the last few years of economic distress.... 5/18/2013 4:40 PM