Local Nation News

Holiday travelers waited longer to book this year

JOSHUA FREED, AP Airlines Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Holiday travelers waited a little longer to book their flights this year, likely holding out for better deals and waiting to see if they would still have a job. And some aren't going at all. Travelocity reports that the... Full story

Sen. Kerry's daughter arrested in LA on DUI

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The daughter of Sen. John Kerry has been arrested in Hollywood for allegedly driving drunk. Los Angeles police say 36-year-old Alexandra Kerry was stopped by officers on a Hollywood street at about 12:40 a.m. Thursday and... Full story

Vigils held after body of missing NC girl found

ALYSIA PATTERSON and MARTHA WAGGONER, Associated Press Writers

SANFORD, N.C. (AP) — The father of a 5-year-old girl whose body was found off a rural North Carolina road regrets giving the girl's mother a chance to raise their daughter, even though she seemed to be getting her life together. The girl's... Full story

Woman pleads guilty to charges in Smart kidnapping

JENNIFER DOBNER, Associated Press Writer

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A woman charged in the 2002 kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart pleaded guilty Tuesday as part of a deal with federal prosecutors and asked Smart to forgive her for all the pain she had caused. Wanda Eileen Barzee apologized... Full story

Ship with 100 tourists stuck in Antarctic ice

VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian icebreaker carrying more than 100 tourists, scientists and journalists on a cruise around Antarctica was struggling to free itself from sea ice about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from clear water on Tuesday, a shipping... Full story

Body of 5-year-old offered for sex found in NC

ALYSIA PATTERSON, Associated Press Writer

SANFORD, N.C. (AP) — Searchers found the body of a missing 5-year-old off a road Monday, ending a weeklong search for the girl, whose mother was accused of offering her for sex, police said. Fayetteville Police spokeswoman Theresa Chance... Full story

NASA fuels space shuttle Atlantis for liftoff

MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — NASA fueled space shuttle Atlantis on Monday for an afternoon liftoff to the space station, despite increasingly cloudy skies. Forecasters put the odds of acceptable weather at 70 percent, not nearly as good... Full story

Conn. residents: Pfizer land battle unnecessary

ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press Writer

NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — After drug giant Pfizer Inc. announced that it was opening a new research center here, city officials aggressively moved to acquire surrounding land for an economic development project — triggering an epic fight... Full story

Census: San Benito among small U.S. cities losing luster in downturn

BY HOPE YEN and FRANK BASS, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — America's small cities are losing some of their traditional appeal to upwardly mobile families seeking wholesome neighborhoods, a stable economy and affordable living. A review of newly released census data shows, for... Full story

Robbers target Hispanics as ideal robbery victims

KATE BRUMBACK, Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — In a quest for easy money, Derrick Gooden and Keith Dixon committed a string of robberies over a two-year period, mostly targeting Hispanic victims they believed were likely to have cash on hand. Their crime spree turned... Full story