California teachers nation's highest paid
Public school teachers in California earned the most last year and those in South Dakota the least, the nation's largest teachers union reported Thursday.
( Associated Press, 11/21/2002 03:47 PM PST)

'Sick' cruise ship returns to Florida
The cruise ship Amsterdam returned to port Thursday for a stem-to-stern scouring after more than 500 people on its last four voyages got sick with a stomach virus.
( Associated Press, 11/21/2002 03:44 PM PST)

Capitol cop found guilty of hoax
A U.S. Capitol Police officer was found guilty Thursday of making false statements in connection with an anthrax hoax.
( Associated Press, 11/21/2002 03:42 PM PST)

Disease complicates Wisconsin deer season
Wisconsin's traditional deer hunt opens Saturday with hunters wondering for the first time whether their prey is infected with a rare, always fatal brain disease.
( By ROBERT IMRIE, Associated Press, 11/21/2002 03:36 PM PST)

Human smuggler sentenced to life
A Cuban-American was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for running an alien-smuggling operation that ended with a Cuban woman's death on a barren Bahamian island.
( Associated Press, 11/21/2002 03:31 PM PST)

Missouri declares Republican Senate victor
Missouri formally certified Republican Jim Talent as its U.S. Senate victor on Thursday, making him eligible to take office, but with Congress all but adjourned he will have to settle for being first in line to be sworn in next year.
( Reuters, 11/21/2002 01:21 PM PST)

Turtle egg smuggler sentenced
A California woman was sentenced to six months in prison for smuggling nearly 2,900 sea turtle eggs into the United States.
( Associated Press, 11/21/2002 01:12 PM PST)

Man sentenced for slaying over booze
A man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing a man over an $8 bottle of tequila last year.
( Associated Press, 11/21/2002 01:09 PM PST)

Kolcraft recalls 410,000 toys
A Chicago company is recalling about 410,000 toy attachments to baby walkers that can break apart and have caused facial cuts to 15 children.
( Associated Press, 11/21/2002 01:06 PM PST)

Medical examiner denies morgue mixup
A woman was never alive after being brought to the city morgue, even though medical investigators reported finding a slight pulse, the District of Columbia's chief medical examiner said Thursday.
( By MARTY NILAND, Associated Press, 11/21/2002 01:05 PM PST)

Harvard Mulls Offensive Speech Ban
Harvard Law School is considering a ban on offensive speech after a series of racially charged incidents, raising fears that the rules will inhibit the kind of sharp-edged intellectual combat so famously depicted in the movie "The Paper Chase."
( JENNIFER PETER, Associated Press, 11/21/2002 12:55 PM PST)

Gas, oil tanker explodes in Pennsylvania
A tanker truck carrying kerosene and gasoline rolled over and exploded Thursday, forcing the evacuation of several homes and businesses. No one was injured.
( Associated Press, 11/21/2002 12:51 PM PST)

Government posts $54 billion budget deficit
The government started off the 2003 fiscal year with a $54 billion budget deficit, while the 2002 budget shortfall was slightly smaller than the government had earlier reported, the Treasury Department said Thursday.
( By JEANNINE AVERSA, Associated Press, 11/21/2002 12:48 PM PST)

Temperature key in cooking turkey
Getting family together for a Thanksgiving feast can be stressful enough without worrying whether the meal will make anyone sick. That's why the government and consumer groups are talking turkey about how cooks can serve a safe meal.
( By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press, 11/21/2002 12:43 PM PST)

Pentagon Unveils Security Upgrades
The Pentagon unveiled a new entrance Thursday that removes direct access from the Metro subway and screens workers and visitors outside the building.
( ELIZABETH WOLFE, Associated Press, 11/21/2002 12:40 PM PST)

U.S. Considers Mideast Peace Meeting
Despite Israel's skepticism and a fresh burst of Palestinian terror, the Bush administration is considering a conference of top U.S., U.N., Russian and European Union ministers within the next two months.
( BARRY SCHWEID, Associated Press, 11/21/2002 12:29 PM PST)

Government has trouble finding immigrants
The government could not find nearly half the 4,112 registered immigrants to whom the government wanted to talk following the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a report issued Thursday.
( By JONATHAN D. SALANT, Associated Press, 11/21/2002 12:00 PM PST)

Businesses gun for Homeland funds
The ink is barely dry on the new Homeland Security Department legislation, but corporate lobbyists are already chasing the pot of gold it offers.
( By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press, 11/21/2002 11:54 AM PST)

Mother charged in daughters' deaths
A woman smothered her two young daughters with a pillow, then called 911 to report them dead, police said.
( Associated Press, 11/21/2002 10:06 AM PST)