Fannie Mae offers borrowers option to foreclosure AP (November 05, 2009) WASHINGTON (AP) - Can't pay the mortgage? You still might be able to stay in your home. Government-controlled mortgage company Fannie Mae is going to give borrowers on the verge of foreclosure the option of renting their homes for a year.
Lax laws allow US companies to be used for crimes AP (November 05, 2009) WASHINGTON (AP) - Lax state laws allow arms traffickers, drug kingpins and money launderers to use U.S. companies to hide their illicit activities from investigators, government officials said Thursday.
Kin tells of brief call from doomed scallop boat AP (November 04, 2009) CAPE MAY, N.J. (AP) - Shortly before 5 a.m. on March 24, Janet Greene's phone rang in her North Carolina home. A light sleeper, she grabbed it on the first ring, knowing it was likely to be from Royal Smith Jr., a commercial fisherman who had two sons with her daughter, Stacy.
Judge: Mich. man can sue store he robbed AP (November 04, 2009) MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) - A Michigan judge says a man who claims he was chased, shot and beaten by workers at a store he'd just robbed can sue the men. But only if he comes up with $10,000 within two weeks.
Vote clears way for Ill. abortion notification law AP (November 04, 2009) CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois is allowed to start enforcing a long-debated parental notification law for teen girls seeking abortions after more than a decade of legal challenges.
NC appellate judges reject public records lawsuit AP (November 03, 2009) RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The North Carolina Court of Appeals has sided with the state treasurer's office in a public records lawsuit that accused officials of withholding documents about the state's pension fund.
Attorney: Texas lottery won't pay cheated winner AP (November 03, 2009) AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - An attorney for a man who lost out on a $1 million jackpot says the Texas Lottery Commission still considers the store clerk who allegedly stole the ticket to be the winner.
Calif. man gets prison for aiming laser at planes AP (November 03, 2009) LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Southern California man who aimed a laser beam at two airliners as they approached an airport has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for disrupting the flights.
Consol cited for training violation in 2008 death AP (November 02, 2009) CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Federal investigators say they can't determine how a foreman for coal producer Consol Energy fell into the Ohio River in northern West Virginia and drowned late last year.
Former AMD chief leaves current job AP (November 02, 2009) SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) - Hector Ruiz, former CEO of chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc., is leaving his job with a spinoff company after a published report linking him to the Galleon Group insider trading case.
Court seems unlikely to get involved in fee fight AP (November 02, 2009) WASHINGTON (AP) - Several Supreme Court justices seemed unsympathetic to calls for the court to get involved in setting fees for mutual funds, a common form of retirement investment.
Court rejects Pa. buffer law on abortion clinics AP (November 02, 2009) PITTSBURGH (AP) - A federal appeals court has struck down a Pittsburgh ordinance that created two types of buffer zones around abortion clinics.
Toy salesman gets 3 months jail in UBS tax probe AP (October 30, 2009) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A federal judge Friday rejected a plea for probation from a New York businessman who admitted concealing $8 million in secret Swiss bank accounts, imposing instead a three-month prison term in the high-profile tax evasion case.
Univ. of Mich. will settle case with ex-student AP (October 30, 2009) DETROIT (AP) - The University of Michigan has dropped an appeal of a $1.7 million verdict and agreed to settle a lawsuit with a former dental student who convinced a jury that she was illegally kicked out of school.
NFL's Goodell to testify on Vikings suspensions AP (October 30, 2009) WASHINGTON (AP) - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is returning to Capitol Hill next week, this time to testify about the case of two professional football players whose suspensions for violating the league's anti-doping policy were blocked by the courts.
Mich. sued for cutting off adult dental benefits AP (October 30, 2009) LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 400,000 adult Medicaid recipients whose dental benefits were eliminated by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to save money.
EPA settles with Detroit co. over hazardous waste AP (October 30, 2009) DETROIT (AP) - Federal officials have reached an agreement with a Detroit company over alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations at two oil recycling operations.
Union backs American Airlines antitrust immunity AP (October 29, 2009) FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - The union representing flight attendants at American Airlines is supporting the company's bid to win antitrust immunity and work more closely with British Airways and Iberia.
Doctor wrote about kissing Anna Nicole in diary AP (October 29, 2009) LOS ANGELES (AP) - One of Anna Nicole Smith's doctors worried about his own drug use and his professionalism after he kissed her and prescribed her highly addictive drugs, according to his diary, which was read in court.
Mont. jury awards $850,000 in aluminum bat lawsuit AP (October 29, 2009) HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A jury on Wednesday found that the maker of Louisville Slugger baseball bats failed to adequately warn about the dangers the product can pose, awarding a family $850,000 for the 2003 death of their son in a baseball game.
Tenn. Appeals Court rules for Bible Park rezoning AP (October 27, 2009) MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Court of Appeals at Nashville has ruled in favor of a rezoning that would allow a Bible-based theme park to be built in Rutherford County.
Court to hear arguments on E. Chicago casino money AP (October 27, 2009) INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana Supreme Court will decide whether a share of East Chicago casino revenues earmarked for economic development should go to a nonprofit corporation or to the city.
Fla. insurer renews policy despite Chinese drywall AP (October 23, 2009) WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Florida's public insurance company reversed course this week and said it will cover a couple's Gulf Coast retirement home, after previously telling the homeowners their policy wouldn't be renewed because of the home's tainted Chinese drywall.
Court filings tie Young to Alaska corruption AP (October 23, 2009) ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Documents filed in federal court directly link U.S. Rep. Don Young to a wide-ranging investigation of corruption in Alaska for the first time.
House panel's probe targets big mortgage lenders AP (October 23, 2009) WASHINGTON (AP) - A House panel is investigating the role of mortgage lenders in the financial crisis and is seeking information from some of the biggest U.S. companies to determine if they used deceptive practices to lure borrowers into the housing boom.
Judge dismisses 'Adult Services' Craigslist suit AP (October 23, 2009) CHICAGO (AP) - A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit aimed at driving classified ads for prostitution off the Craigslist Web site.
Hispanic farmers fight to sue USDA over lost land AP (October 22, 2009) SALINAS, Calif. (AP) - In their straw hats, rolled up sleeves and work boots, a dozen or so Latinos gathered by a field of ripening strawberries still look like farmers. All but one of them, however, have lost their land.
Russia drops $22.5 bln lawsuit against US bank AP (October 22, 2009) MOSCOW (AP) - Russia dropped a $22.5 billion lawsuit Thursday against Bank of New York Mellon after the company agreed to pay $14 million to settle a decade-old money-laundering case involving one of its former executives.
New malpractice idea in health care debate AP (October 20, 2009) WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's willingness to consider alternatives to medical malpractice lawsuits is providing a boost for taking such cases out of the courtroom and letting experts, not juries, decide their merits.
Guantanamo detainees case reaches Supreme Court AP (October 20, 2009) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide whether Guantanamo detainees who are considered no threat can be ordered released in the United States - over the objections of the Obama administration and Congress - if the prisoners have nowhere else to go.
Phoenix offers settlement in airport death case AP (October 19, 2009) PHOENIX (AP) - Phoenix has proposed a $250,000 settlement to the family of a New York City woman who accidentally strangled herself while in police custody two years ago at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Federal judge shutters Idaho grazing allotment AP (October 19, 2009) BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A federal judge has ordered a western Idaho rancher to keep his sheep off his family's traditional grazing ground on public land, at least temporarily, to protect wild native bighorns.
Arson blamed for destructive Calif wildfire AP (October 19, 2009) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California fire officials say a summer blaze that destroyed 63 homes in the Sierra foothills was intentionally set.
Six people charged in insider trading case AP (October 16, 2009) NEW YORK (AP) - A billionaire hedge fund boss was among five men and a woman arrested by federal authorities Friday in a hedge fund insider trading case that prosecutors say reaped $20 million in illegal profits.
Supreme Court will hear appeal of Enron's Skilling AP (October 13, 2009) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court will consider throwing out the convictions of former Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeff Skilling for his role in the collapse of the one-time energy giant.
Plane headed to Ga. diverted, passenger arrested AP (October 13, 2009) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Delta airliner headed to Atlanta from Seattle diverted to Nashville, Tenn., after a disturbance. No one was hurt.
Iowa kosher slaughterhouse owner sees lean future AP (October 13, 2009) SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The new owner of an Iowa kosher slaughterhouse that was the site of a massive immigration raid says he's a turnaround artist who will operate a leaner plant that avoids the mistakes of his predecessor.
Soulja Boy arrested after vacant house video shoot AP (October 09, 2009) McDONOUGH, Ga. (AP) - Police say rapper Soulja Boy was charged with obstruction after telling officers that people gathered at an abandoned Georgia house were shooting a music video.
RFK's daughter backs Ecuadoreans in Chevron suit AP (October 09, 2009) QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - Robert F. Kennedy's daughter sided with Ecuadorean Indians and farmers in their $27 billion environmental lawsuit against oil giant Chevron, saying Thursday after visiting former Amazon drilling sites that the case compares unfavorably to the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker spill.
Pilots union rips immunity for American Airlines AP (October 09, 2009) FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - The pilots' union at American Airlines said Friday it opposed antitrust immunity for the carrier's proposed joint venture with British Airways and Iberia.