Murder trial begins 35 years after 6-year-old vanished in NY
NEW YORK (AP) -- Thirty-five years after the disappearance of a 6-year-old boy in Manhattan ushered in an era of protectiveness for America's children, trial began Friday for a mentally ill man with a low IQ who confessed to his murder and kidnapping.... 1/30/2015 8:58 PM

AP EXPLAINS: The case of Etan Patz, who disappeared in 1979
NEW YORK (AP) -- The 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz helped catalyze a national missing-children's movement. Six-year-old Etan was one of the first vanished children whose case was publicized in what became a high-profile way: on milk cartons. His disappearance also helped usher in an age of parental anxiety. Opening statements were made Friday in the murder and kidnapping trial of Pedro Hernandez, who confessed in 2012 but says his admissions were false.... 1/30/2015 8:10 PM

Ex-rap mogul 'Suge' Knight arrested in deadly hit-and-run
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Marion "Suge" Knight, the former music mogul who created one of hip-hop's leading labels and became the impresario of gangster rap, was arrested Friday on suspicion of hitting and killing a man with his truck and fleeing the scene of the crash near Los Angeles.... 1/30/2015 9:31 PM

A timeline of 'Suge' Knight's legal and medical troubles
A look at Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight's troubles over the past 20 years:... 1/30/2015 1:33 PM

Judge: Jury can watch Super Bowl unless Hernandez mentioned
FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) -- The 18 New England residents sitting on the jury in the murder trial of former Patriots star Aaron Hernandez will be allowed to watch the home team play in Sunday's Super Bowl, but the judge overseeing the case says they must leave the room if his name is mentioned.... 1/30/2015 8:13 PM

US mulls Middle East-North Africa category for 2020 Census
DETROIT (AP) -- The federal government is considering allowing those of Middle Eastern and North African descent to identify as such on the next 10-year Census, which could give Arab-Americans and other affected groups greater political clout and access to public funding, among other things.... 1/30/2015 7:47 PM

26 victims or 27? Newtown panel considers role of Lanza mom
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- A Connecticut panel developing a report on the Newtown massacre debated Friday whether the victims counted in the dedication should include the shooter's mother, a woman who has been faulted for contributing to the tragedy by fostering her son's fascination with guns.... 1/30/2015 8:31 PM

White House: Science indicates parents should vaccinate kids
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Amid the measles outbreak stemming from California, the White House is telling parents that science indicates they should vaccinate their children.... 1/30/2015 8:51 PM

Flu hospitalizations of elderly hit record high, CDC says
NEW YORK (AP) -- Some new evidence this is a particularly bad flu season: Flu-related hospitalizations of the elderly are the highest since the government started tracking that statistic nine years ago.... 1/30/2015 6:04 PM

Balloon crew makes history crossing Pacific Ocean
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A pair of American and Russian pilots has traveled farther and longer in a gas balloon than anyone in history, trying to eliminate any remaining debate over a century of records in long-distance ballooning.... 1/30/2015 9:23 PM