Teen arrested in killing of LA anti-gang counselor
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Ronald "Loony" Barron urged a young graffiti tagger to put away his paint cans, he was doing what he viewed as his mission — steering kids away from crime — but he paid for it with his life. Los Angeles police arrested a 16-year-old boy on Tuesday, saying he would be charged with murder for shooting Barron to death Sunday night after Barron confronted him.
Snow shuts down federal government, life goes on
WASHINGTON (AP) — If snow keeps 230,000 government employees home for the better part of a week, will anyone notice? With at least another foot of snow headed for Washington, Philadelphia and New York, we're about to find out. The federal government in the nation's capital has largely been shut down since Friday afternoon, when a storm began dumping up to 3 feet of snow in some parts of the region. Offices were remaining closed at least through Wednesday. So far, the effects have been negligible. Many essential government services are performed at offices around the country, and about 85 percent of federal employees work outside the Washington region anyway. Others were working from home despite the snow. An IRS spokeswoman said tax returns should not be affected.
Anthem asked to justify rate hike in California
LOS ANGELES (AP) — For the second time this week, President Barack Obama has pointed to one health insurer's major rate hike in California as a doomy harbinger of rising premiums across America. Anthem Blue Cross' 30 to 39 percent rate hike in California will affect an unknown number of its 800,000 individual policyholders — the insurer has declined giving specifics. But Obama said the rate hike is a sign of what will happen to many Americans without reform.
ATF blames Texas church fires on serial arsonist
TYLER, Texas (AP) — A spate of recent fires that destroyed or damaged several churches in eastern Texas were intentionally set, likely by the same person or group, federal authorities said Tuesday. Fires that broke out at two churches near Tyler on Monday have not yet been ruled arson, but authorities are investigating them as such. They were reported within an hour of one another and there were signs that at least one of the churches had been broken into.
NY governor says he'll step aside only 'in a box'
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. David Paterson, defying calls from even fellow Democrats to drop out of the race for a full term, said Tuesday that he would leave only if the voters turned him out through the ballot box, or "in a box." Paterson spoke to reporters after several days of rumors sweeping the state Capitol about carousing in the governor's mansion, all of which Paterson strongly denied.
LA-area foothills under mudslide threat
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. (AP) — A new wave of winter rains on Tuesday washed over the wildfire-scarred foothill towns north of Los Angeles, forcing some residents to flee homes while others risked remaining to deploy shovels and buckets in an attempt to hold back the muddy deluge. Officials issued evacuation orders for 541 homes on the hillsides of La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton and two canyons. Several streets in the city of Sierra Madre spent several hours under evacuation orders that were lifted in the evening.
Prosecutors: Andrews' stalker had other victims
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The man who stalked ESPN reporter Erin Andrews and shot nude videos of her through a hotel room peephole videotaped 16 other women and ran background checks on 30 people, including female sports reporters and TV personalities, according to court documents. A sentencing memo filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles says Michael Barrett uploaded videos of 16 other women to an online account.
Target pulls Valentine's toys over lead concerns
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Target Corp. said Tuesday it was pulling its Valentine's Day "Message Bears" from store shelves after California's attorney general raised concerns that the toys have illegal levels of lead. The response comes a day after a letter sent by Attorney General Jerry Brown said testing of the holiday toys revealed lead levels that violate federal law.
Kerrigan family disputes autopsy report on father
BOSTON (AP) — The family of Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan insisted Tuesday that they do "not blame anyone" for her father's death and criticized a medical examiner's finding that Daniel Kerrigan died of a heart rhythm problem after a fight with his son. Daniel Kerrigan's death was ruled a homicide by a state medical examiner.
Police debate use of family DNA to ID suspects
DENVER (AP) — Police in at least two states are increasingly using a DNA crime-solving technique that some legal experts say amounts to guilt by association: If your brother, father, uncle or son has been in trouble with the law and is in a DNA database because of it, you, too, could fall under suspicion. The technique is known as a "familial DNA" search. And in what is believed to be a precedent-setting case, Denver police used it to help catch the burglar who left a drop of blood on a passenger seat when he broke a car window and stole $1.40 in change.
