Neb. lawmakers OK age limit in safe-haven law
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Nebraska lawmakers have given final approval to adding a 30-day age limit to the state's safe-haven law....

Americans still giving, despite economic meltdown
SEATTLE (AP) -- As more Americans turn to charity amid worsening economic gloom, operators of food banks and other aid groups are relying on the surprisingly resilient generosity of their neighbors and finding that even when times are tough, people still give....

2nd Mass. politician charged with taking bribe
BOSTON (AP) -- FBI agents arrested a Boston city council member Friday after he was allegedly videotaped taking a $1,000 bribe from an undercover agent in an expanding investigation into corruption at City Hall and the Massachusetts Statehouse....

Guards: Crowded Calif. prisons neglect ill inmates
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Inmates with open, bleeding wounds routinely use communal showers and suicidal prisoners are sometimes kept for hours inside small cages, witnesses testified in a lawsuit over state prison crowding....

Shuttle, astronauts prep for mid-mission reboost
HOUSTON (AP) -- Astronauts at the international space station prepared to work on a urine-recycling contraption and re-fire the space shuttle's thrusters Friday, before enjoying a half-day off to reboost their own energy....

Palin pardons turkey while others slaughtered
WASILLA, Alaska (AP) -- Gov. Sarah Palin has granted the traditional Thanksgiving pardon to one lucky turkey, but the video that shocked some viewers captured what was happening in the background....

Witness recalls last messages in MySpace hoax case
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A Missouri woman knew her 13-year-old neighbor was depressed and suicidal when she sent cruel Internet messages to the teenager, her former assistant testified. The girl killed herself after being told the world would be better off without her....

Report: Records search on Joe the Plumber improper
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- An agency director improperly used state computers to find personal information on "Joe the Plumber," a government watchdog said in a report released Thursday....

3 US airports open new runways amid economic woes
CHICAGO (AP) -- Planes began taking off from new multimillion-dollar runways at three U.S. airports on Thursday with aviation officials heralding the increased capacity as crucial to reducing delays, even in the face of a slumping economy and a projected decline in domestic flights this winter....

NY hate crime suspect now charged with murder
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) -- The killing of an Ecuadorean immigrant by seven high school students was part of a spree in which the teenagers tormented other immigrants while armed with knives and BB guns, prosecutors said....