Floods cut Washington highways

Floods and avalanches kept tens of thousands of people in Washington state from their homes Thursday and cut off highways that link Seattle's ports with markets around the country.

Gotti neighbor allegedly dissolved in acid

It's been one of the last mysteries from John Gotti's gangland career: What happened to the neighbor who accidentally ran over and killed the mobster's 12-year-old son — and then vanished?

Palm announces 'Pre' smartphone

Palm Thursday unveiled the "Pre" smartphone, more similar to an iPhone than a Treo in looks, and a new operating system called Palm WebOS, with hopes that both will keep the venerable but struggling company in the smartphone race.

Deep freeze disrupts hardy Alaskans

Ted Johnson planned on using a set of logs to a build a cabin in Alaska's interior. Instead he'll burn some of them to stay warm.

Job hunts grow harder in recession

New claims for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week, but the number of people continuing to seek aid rose sharply.

Florida strikes first, leads OU in BCS title game

In the fight for the BCS Championship, Florida landed the first real punch against Oklahoma. Tim Tebow connected with Louis Murphy for a 20-yard touchdown pass, giving Florida the game's first score and the first lead, 7-0, barely one minute into the second quarter.

Scoop: Stars saving red-carpet best for inaugural

Celebrities aren't very interested in what they will wear to upcoming awards shows — they're already looking ahead to the outfits they'll don for Barack Obama's inauguration.

African men jailed for 8 years over gay sex
Nine men, including a prominent activist, have been convicted of homosexual acts and sentenced to eight years in prison, their lawyer and a gay rights group said Thursday.

Racism: What we say doesn't match what we do
Think you wouldn't tolerate a racist act? Think again, says a surprising experiment that exposed some college students to one and found indifference at best.